French journalists file lawsuit against Israel for restricting access to Gaza

(CLO) Two major French press unions on December 2 officially sued Israel for allegedly systematically preventing French journalists from working.

The complaint, filed with the Paris anti-terrorism prosecutor's office, alleges that Israel has violated freedom of information by denying journalists access to the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.

Image of devastation in Gaza. Photo: X/antonioguterres

The unions that filed the lawsuit are the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the French Federation of Journalists. The lawsuit focuses on allegations of “deliberate obstruction of freedom of information,” based on numerous testimonies from French journalists – whose names have been withheld to protect their safety.

The lawsuit is based on Israel's decision to bar international journalists from entering the Gaza Strip from October 2023, except when accompanied and supervised by Israeli forces. In July, AFP and other news agencies called on Israel to open the door for the press to work freely there.

The lawsuit also cites a serious incident in the West Bank where a journalist was chased by about 50 Israeli citizens armed with guns, petrol cans and sticks, in full view but without intervention from the Israeli military, which the plaintiffs say could have “characteristic elements of a war crime.”

Through the lawsuit, the unions not only want to protect the rights of French journalists, but also pressure Israel to open the Gaza border to international media.

The case is also part of a trend of using the French judicial system to try alleged violations committed abroad, based on the principle of jurisdiction for serious crimes where the victim is a French citizen. French prosecutors recently requested that the deaths of two French children in Gaza in October 2023 be investigated as a war crime.

Source: https://congluan.vn/cac-nha-bao-phap-de-don-kien-israel-vi-han-che-tiep-can-gaza-10320164.html