Fadel Shana

New York, December 18, 2008—For the sixth consecutive year, Iraq was the deadliest country in the world for the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in its end-of-year analysis. The 11 deaths recorded in Iraq in 2008, while a sharp drop from prior years, remained among the highest annual tolls in CPJ history.

Editor’s note: The original text of this alert has been altered to correct the number of journalists killed in the West Bank and Gaza since 2001, and the number killed by Israeli Defense Forces.

Washington, June 11, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Israeli authorities today to release the findings of an army investigation into the killing of a Reuters cameraman by an Israeli tank shell in the Gaza Strip two months ago. In a meeting with Israel’s ambassador to the United States, the CPJ delegation also urged the government to commit to a thorough, impartial, and credible inquiry into the killing—the seventh journalist death at the hands of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in seven years.

Editor’s note: The original text of this alert has been altered to correct the number of journalists killed in the West Bank and Gaza since 2001, and the number killed by Israeli Defense Forces.

New York, April 16, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists mourns the death today of a Reuters cameraman who was killed in the Gaza strip while filming an Israeli tank.

The cameraman, Fadel Shana, 24, filmed the muzzle flash of the Merkava-4 tank that sent a dart-scattering shell above his head. The screen goes black as Shana falls dead in an open patch of sandy ground near the Israel-Gaza border, southwest of Gaza City on April 16. His soundman, Wafa Abu Mizyed, is wounded. Eight other civilians, aged between 12 and 20, were killed; six of them were under 16. At least seven other bystanders aged from 10 to 18 were also hit. None was armed or was a militant.

In a six-page letter to Thomson Reuters dated August 12, the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) military advocate general, Brig.-Gen. Avihai Mandelblit, absolves the tank crew and their superiors of any responsibility or criminal wrongdoing. The letter outlines some of the findings of a confidential inquiry into the killing. It skates over testimony from witnesses quoted by Reuters and other media and human rights groups, and concludes that the decision to fire a shell designed to kill concentrations of battlefield infantry at a two-man TV crew was "reasonable" and "sound."

BBC News has coverage this morning about the media's reaction to Israel's decision to clear the soldiers involved in the death of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana. The "Editors' Blog" on British site Journalism talks about Reuters' "dissatisfaction" at the verdict and the Middle East Online Web site has a report that cites our alert on the ruling, and quotes the concerns of  CPJ's Middle East Senior Program Coordinator Joel Campagna: "These findings mean that a journalist with a camera is at risk of coming under fire and there's not that much that can be done. That's unacceptable."

Australia's Sydney Morning Herald also covers the IDF's ruling and quotes our statistic of eight journalist deaths in the West Bank and Gaza since 1992. The Lebanese Web site Menassat has republished our alert from yesterday as well.

The arrest of ITN reporter John Ray yesterday in Beijing has stirred up fresh concerns about press freedom during the Games and China's overall human rights record. From England, both The Telegraph and The Guardian have stories today about the IOC's unwillingness to admit China's failures, particularly in regard to freedom of the press. The International Herald Tribune is also covering the story, as is the Web site Monsters and Critics.

The Russian-Georgian conflict continues to be the focus of many news outlets this morning. The Associated Press outlines vital statistics from the conflict, which includes our reporting on journalist casualties. McClatchy News Service also cites CPJ in its reporting on the situation. The International News Safety Institute, meanwhile, has an important posting that explains the continued danger for the news media in the region.

At the Olympics censorship concerns in China are again the topic of discussion in various news reports today. The Associated Press quotes CPJ's Bob Dietz in an article about China's restrictive approach toward journalists who attempt to cover stories that are not sports-related. Also, MediaChannel has reprinted our alert from yesterday about the Chinese blocking our Web site.

This morning, Reuters is covering news that the Israeli military has cleared soldiers involved in the death of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, who was killed by tank fire four months ago. The piece quotes CPJ's Joel Campagna as saying that the "findings mean that a journalist with a camera is at risk of coming under fire and there's not that much that can be done. That's unacceptable." Campagna had led CPJ deleation that met previously with Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor to call for a full investigation into Shana's death.

New York, August 13, 2008--The Israeli government should carry out an independent investigation into the killing of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. CPJ also called on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to work with journalists and media groups to ensure that journalists operating in the Gaza Strip are able to do their jobs safely.