CPJ joins call for UN commission to investigate Israel murder of journalist Issam Abdallah

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined 10 press freedom and human rights organizations in a letter to the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel to investigate and help provide accountability for the murder of Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah, who was killed by Israeli forces in south Lebanon on October 13, 2023, and for the killings of other journalists.

Ahead of the one-year anniversary of Abdallah’s killing, CPJ joined a September 11 letter urging the commission to conduct its own inquiry into Israel’s October 13 attack. The organizations also called for the commission to investigate accusations of war crimes against journalists as part of its inquiry into possible war crimes committed since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7, and to recognize the “alarming numbers” of journalists killed in the war and the media’s crucial role in documenting conflict.  

The letter also asked the commission to publicly identify the military unit involved in the attack on the journalists and send formal requests for information to the governments of Israel, Lebanon, and the United States, given that one of the survivors of the attack, Dylan Collins, is a U.S. citizen.

You can read the full letter here.