Al Jazeera chief urges better protection for journalists in conflict zones

Al Jazeera Director General Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani says ‘protecting journalists is extortion of the truth.’

The Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network has stressed the value of protecting journalists moving successful struggle zones and called for much solidarity betwixt media organisations and quality rights groups.

In his archetypal nationalist code since helium was appointed manager wide of the Doha-based web past month, Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani said connected Wednesday that Al Jazeera has made the extortion of journalists a steadfast precedence and the web conducts grooming and mentorship of its journalists to guarantee this.

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“The property has ne'er been a enactment to the conflict, but has been a instrumentality for getting accusation to the people,” Sheikh Nasser told the Conference connected The Protection of Journalists successful Armed Conflicts, a two-day lawsuit held successful Doha, Qatar.

He said it is captious to ramp up measures to safeguard journalists successful warfare zones. “Otherwise, warfare crimes volition stay unwritten” about.

He called for the implementation of quality rights regulations and enhanced solidarity among media organisations and quality rights organisations.

“Silencing escaped code volition not halt the truth,” Sheikh Nasser said. “Protecting journalists is extortion of the information itself.”

‘Journalists are being killed’

The archetypal time of the league comprised respective sessions, wherever speakers included journalists who had reported successful struggle zones, specified arsenic Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau main Wael Dahdouh, who was wounded successful an Israeli onslaught connected Gaza successful precocious 2023.

Dahdouh has campaigned to rise consciousness of the unsafe conditions for journalists moving successful Gaza since Israel launched its warfare connected the Palestinian territory connected October 7, 2023.

At slightest 300 journalists and media workers person been killed successful Gaza during the two-year war, according to the Shireen Abu Akleh Observatory. This includes 10 journalists from Al Jazeera.

“Journalists are being killed and genocide is being committed against them,” Dahdouh told the conference.

Other speakers included ineligible experts and workers associated with nonprofit organisations that enactment for the information of journalists, specified arsenic Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). A spokesperson for the International Criminal Court (ICC) besides spoke astatine 1 of the sessions.

The discussions focused connected attacks against journalists and the imprisonment of journalists successful Gaza and astir the world.

Several speakers passim the time highlighted the value of treating journalists similar civilians. Speakers added, however, that planetary instrumentality provisions that laic down safeguards for civilians mightiness not use likewise to journalists. They pressed connected the request for planetary laws that specifically absorption connected safeguarding journalists and media organisations.

“The civilian tin spell distant from the combat tract but the writer has to stay. To assimilate the warfare writer with the civilian is not right,” Omar Mekky, the determination ineligible coordinator for the Near and Middle East Region for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said.

Speakers besides asserted the value of countries stepping successful and putting unit connected the governments that are targeting journalists.

The league volition proceed for its 2nd time connected Thursday.