Lebanese Newspaper Sues Former UN Official in France Over Remarks About Slain Journalist
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Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar has filed a lawsuit in a Paris court accusing former UNIFIL official Philippe Sidos of justifying war crimes over his remarks about the death of journalist Amal Khalil. Sidos suggested on French TV that Khalil was targeted because of his alleged links to Hezbollah. The BFMTV journalists' association condemned the comments, stating that targeting a journalist constitutes a war crime.
Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar has formally filed a lawsuit in a Paris court accusing Philippe Sidos, former head of the liaison office of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), of 'justifying war crimes.' The suit concerns Sidos's statements regarding the death of journalist Amal Khalil, a staff member of the newspaper.
According to sources, Sidos said during an appearance on French television channel BFMTV: 'Al-Akhbar is a newspaper close to Hezbollah. The Israelis often say that journalists working with Hezbollah are spies working for Hezbollah. So, in this case, they were targeted.'
Subsequently, the journalists' association of BFMTV issued a statement 'completely' rejecting these 'shocking remarks,' emphasizing that 'targeting a journalist, like a civilian, constitutes a war crime.'
Lawyer Vincent Brengarth, representing Al-Akhbar in Paris, told AFP that 'it is essential to open an investigation; otherwise, there will be a sense of impunity for all expressions justifying war crimes that have been committed.'
Journalist Amal Khalil, 42, was killed on April 22 while reporting in southern Lebanon during an Israeli strike.