War Crime

[poliphilo]

On July 20 NATO attacked the headquarters of the Libyan state broadcaster Al-Jamahiriyah and two of its installations. According to Libyan sources- which cannot be verified- three journalists were killed and twenty one injured. 

Jean-Francois Juillard, secretary general of Reporters without Frontiers has said,

“We remind NATO that news media are civilian installations and cannot be regarded as military objectives. Even if Al-Jamahiriya is clearly used by the Gaddafi regime as a propaganda outlet, it does not in any way legitimize these attacks. Other means, such as support for independent media, must be used to minimize the regime’s propaganda and threats."

“We call for a transparent investigation into the circumstances of these airstrikes. Military attacks on civilian installations constitute war crimes and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions. It is essential to establish who was responsible.”

A fuller report can be read here.

Comments

[michaleen.livejournal.com]

"Support for independent media"? I know this is supposed to be serious, but it is hard to not laugh at a suggestion like that.

Also, it's kind of funny that "Reporters without Frontiers" would take an obviously self-serving claim made by a state actor at face value. It's lazy journalism like this that brought us the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.