By Staff, Agencies

United Nations human rights experts have demanded an immediate, full, and independent investigation by an international body into the killings of Lebanese journalists Fatima Ftouni, Mohammad Ftouni, and Ali Shuaib by “Israeli” occupation forces.

In a joint statement issued Thursday, the UN experts described the killings as “another blatant assault on the freedom of the press by ‘Israeli’ forces,” condemning the “dangerous and recurring practice of targeting and killing journalists, then claiming, without credible evidence, that they are affiliated with armed groups.”

The statement detailed that on March 28, “‘Israeli’ forces killed Al Manar correspondent Ali Shuaib, Al Mayadeen correspondent Fatima Ftouni, and cameraman Mohammad Ftouni in a series of attacks targeting their vehicle while they were passing through the Lebanese city of Jezzine on a journalistic mission.”

The experts emphasized that “journalists performing their professional duties in armed conflicts are civilians and must not be targeted or made the object of attack.”

They added, “The deliberate killing of journalists not directly participating in hostilities constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law and amounts to a war crime.”

The statement further criticized the evidence presented by “Israeli” forces, noting that it consisted solely of an altered image of Ali Shuaib, highlighting a “stark disregard for international law.”

UN experts underscored that employment with a media outlet affiliated with an armed group does not, under international humanitarian law, constitute direct participation in hostilities.

They stated, “‘Israeli’ officials are aware of this but choose to ignore it, driven by impunity from previous killings of journalists in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank.”

The experts described the targeting of journalists as “a despicable attempt by ‘Israel’ to silence reporting on its military operations in Lebanon and suppress coverage of war crimes, replicating the approach previously employed in Gaza.”