Press freedom groups demand Israel authorizes medical evacuation of 2 Al Jazeera journalists

Two journalists — Ali Al-Attar and Fadi Al Wahidi — were critically wounded in Gaza and require immediate evacuation to save their lives. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ ), Free Press Unlimited (FPU ), and Reporters Without Borders (RSF ) urgently called on the Israeli military office responsible for humanitarian coordination, known as COGAT, to authorize their medical evacuation. Since the urgent request on Tuesday, Al Wahidi has slipped into a coma .?

CPJ and partner organizations are continuing all efforts to ensure that Al-Attar and Al Wahidi, camera operators for Al Jazeera, receive immediate, lifesaving medical treatment.

“The Israeli military’s duty under international humanitarian law is to protect civilians, including journalists, and to ensure the wounded receive timely medical assistance,” the organizations wrote in an open letter . “Targeting journalists is a clear violation of international law relating to situations of armed conflict. We respectfully ask for your immediate intervention to facilitate the necessary permissions for this evacuation.”

Read the full letter here .

Global press freedom updates

• CPJ, partners urge Malta to reform, 7 years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder
• In Germany, 2 public broadcast centers evacuated after bomb threats
• German security guards abuse , beat DW Arabic reporter at concert
• US journalist arrested in Israel over reporting on Iranian missiles
• Mayor threatens local journalist in Turkey: ‘We will teach him his lesson’
• Cameroon bans reporting on President Paul Biya’s health, whereabouts
• Tanzania’s regulator bans media outlets as journalists harassed
• Chad media regulator restricts online broadcasts under threat of shutdown
• Several journalists flee Cuba after state agents question, pressure at least 8
• CPJ calls for an end to ‘systematic pressure’ on Ukrainska Pravda
• Slovak PM Fico attacks journalists as ‘possessed by the devil’

Spotlight

CPJ welcomed the 28-year sentence given to former politician Robert Telles for stabbing to death Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German.

“The sentencing of Robert Telles marks a significant milestone in the quest for justice. Although the jailing of Telles cannot undo Jeff German’s murder, it can act as an important deterrent to would-be assailants of journalists,” said CPJ U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “German’s murder by a county politician is a stark reminder of the dangers that journalists – especially local reporters worldwide – face simply for doing their jobs and reporting on matters of public interest.”

German , a veteran reporter who covered organized crime and local politics, was stabbed to death on September 2, 2022, outside his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. Telles, a former Clark County public administrator, lost a re-election bid in June 2022 after German reported on alleged mismanagement in Telles’ office.

While the killing of journalists in the U.S. is an exceedingly rare event, CPJ’s October 2024 special report, “On Edge: What the US election could mean for journalists and global press freedom ,” found the safety of journalists in the United States is no longer a given as members of the media face a slew of threats, including violence, online harassment, legal challenges, and attacks by police.

What we are reading

• ?A reporter’s shield law is vital to prevent abuses of power — New York Times editorial board
• Lammy must put Jimmy Lai’s liberty before China’s cash — Bill Browder, The Times
• South Sudan transition must address press freedom — Muthoki Mumo, Radio Tamazuj
• UN anti-cybercrime treaty could make journalism a crime — Nick Benequista, The Hill
• How Congolese journalists displaced by the M23 war are keeping the airwaves alive — Fidèle Kitsa, The New Humanitarian
• Under a far-right government, journalists fear press freedom in Italy is heading down a slippery slope — Marina Adami, Reuters Institute