Investigation into shooting (of) French reporter reactivated

[Englander]

Report, Reporters San Frontieres
21 September 2005

Amid French judicial moves to reactivate an investigation into the near-fatal shooting of "Paris Match" reporter Jacques-Marie Bourget on 21 October 2000 in Ramallah, on the West Bank, RSF reported that it has been granted civil party status in the case before a high-level court in Paris.

"We are calling for the clarification of the circumstances of the shooting in which Bourget nearly died," the organisation said. "He has been demanding justice for five years and it is high time that all the witnesses, without exception, are finally questioned by judicial investigators."

French judge Michèle Ghanassia revived the case on 7 September 2005 by issuing a formal written request to the Israeli authorities to question the Israeli soldiers who witnessed the shooting, so that she can complete her investigation. On 16 September, court lawyer Jean Martin notified Ghanassia in writing of RSF's civil party status in the case.

Bourget was shot in the chest as he was covering clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. He was rushed to a Ramallah hospital where he underwent a long operation after the Israeli authorities refused to authorise his transfer to a hospital in Jerusalem. The Israelis also blocked his evacuation to France until French President Jacques Chirac personally intervened.

More at;
The Electronic Intifada

[pelsar]

1. palestenian human rights monitor...

has some sound advice for journalist in the combat zones


Journalists were clearly identifiable by their equipment, general attitude, as well as usually a helmet and bulletproof jacket sometimes marked "Press." However, RSF agrees that the visibility of press equipment should not be overestimated at distances greater than 100-150 meters.


Most of the incidents took place in the fourth quarter of 2000, i.e. at the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada. This can be explained by the unclear rules of combat that increased the possibility of journalists being caught off guard, the high number of journalists present in the area, and the competition between journalists that induced them to take greater risks.

http://www.phrmg.org/monitor2001/oct2001-journalist.htm

moral of the story: entering a combat zone you take the risk of being shot

[Englander]

2. I've heard of the phrase 'shoot the messenger' -

& somebody should tell the US/Israeli army that it's not
meant to be taken literally.

"Journalists under threat

Feature, 04/19/2004

by Hedayat Abdel Nabi, ACANU President

Within the first few months of this year, four journalists and four media assistants were killed in Iraq and one was killed in the Occupied Territories.

The reporters without borders organisation notes that, on 18 March, 2004, Nadia Nasrat from the Iraqi Diyala Television station; cameraman Ali Abdel Aziz and reporter Ali Al-Khatib, both from the Dubai-based network Al-Arabiya, were killed. Bourhan Mohammad al-Louhaybi, an Iraqi cameraman working for the US ABC network, was shot in the head on 26 March while covering clashes in Falluja.

Media assistants, Duraid Isa Mohammed and Yasser Khatab, both from CNN, were killed on January 27. Majid Rachid and Mohamad Ahmad, also from Diyala TV, were killed on 18 March along with their colleague Nadia.

http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGPOL304192004

[pelsar]

3. combat zones are dangerous places..

with kids under lots of pressures with lots of ammunition and automatic weapons....

people react differently to pressures, no matter how well they are trained....journalists going in to those places in the line of fire...sticking their heads out to get a picture...with shadows and sunlight affecting ones vision

they are going to get shot...its that simple. The fact that so few have is a testimony to the soldiers in the field......

[Englander]

4. Two points -

You're stating the *bleedin' obvious* in the first punctuation-free
sentences, & you don't think there's any need to be concerned that
journalists are shot/killed by an occupying army? Oh my.

That reminds me of an ex-poster whose name sometimes pops up when
I search the archives, his name began with H., I think..

[pelsar]

5. concerned yes..

knee jerk reactions to blame the occupying force as "targeting jounalists"..no

[Englander]

6. !!

I'm overwhelmed by yer show of concern, truly, it is convincing.

I remembered the username of the ex-poster, Herschel was his name.