\u201cIf the International Criminal Court does not investigate the death of Shireen Abu Akleh soon, it will lose all credibility among journalists and the Palestine people,\u201d said IFJ vice-president Nasser Abu Baker. He was speaking to a packed meeting on 21 September at the United Nations Human Rights Council, organised by the IFJ on the anniversary of lodging a complaint with the Hague-based court.<\/p>\n
Nearly 100 national representatives, including those from China, the USA, the UK, and the EU, heard contributions from lawyers and campaigners involved in the case.<\/p>\n
Ilora Choudury, senior lead counsel for the International Center of Justice for Palestinians told the meeting about the troubling forensic evidence that has emerged since the killing. \u201cThe similarity between cases, the consistency, and the sheer volume all point to one thing \u2013 a formal, or informal policy to intentionally targeting journalists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Choudhury\u00a0went on to say that had legal action been swifter, much suffering among journalists in Palestine might have been avoided \u2013 102 have suffered serious injury as a result of the actions of the Israeli Defence Force.<\/p>\n