Journalists’ unions file complaint in France for restrictions on press freedom in Gaza News
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Journalists’ unions file complaint in France for restrictions on press freedom in Gaza

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the French Journalists’ Union (FJU) on Tuesday filed a complaint with France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office alleging “restrictions on the freedom to inform on war crimes” in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The FJU stated in a press release that the complaint was based on anonymous testimonies collected from French journalists. It described a “media blackout” in Gaza, with no foreign journalist able to enter the territory since October 7, 2023, and “225 murders” of Palestinian media professionals, authenticated by the IFJ, taking place in the same timeframe. It further detailed constraints on journalists in Israel and Jordan, including threats, confiscation of equipment, physical aggression, arrests, and arbitrary expulsions. It stated that these acts were committed by a variety of actors, from police forces to individual settlers. According to the lawyers representing the IFJ and FJU, this is the first time that an action to protect French journalists in a foreign territory has been brought before a French domestic court.

The general secretary of the IFJ, Anthony Bellanger, said that “when press freedom is trampled upon and war crimes are committed, France has a duty to act to protect its citizens… no one is above international law.” Israel has been criticized for its treatment of journalists by the Committee to Protect Journalists, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Reporters Without Borders. A letter from the Media Freedom Coalition was signed by 27 states in August, including France, calling for “all attacks against media workers to be investigated and for those responsible to be prosecuted.”

In a press conference on October 28, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office foreign media spokesperson  Shosh Bedrosian signaled that there would be a policy change to the ban on journalists, stating that “there will come a time, soon, when reporters flood Gaza.” However, she added harshly, “Hamas has already written your script.”

It is illegal to attack journalists under international humanitarian law. Article 79 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Convention states that journalists in conflict zones should be treated as civilians and protected as such, “provided that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians.” France and Israel are both parties to the convention and its protocols. France has affirmed its commitment to protecting journalists, including the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

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