Muath Amarneh
Muath Amarneh is a Palestinian journalist.[1]
Biography
[edit]Amarneh is originally from the Dheisheh refugee camp, in the West Bank, Occupied Palestinian territories.[2] He began developing an interest in photography at the age of 10.[3]
In November 2019, he was shot by the Israeli military while covering clashes between the Israeli authorities and Palestinian anti-settlement demonstrators in Surif, in the West Bank, losing an eye.[3] The Israeli policed denied wrongdoing, saying that they had used non-lethal force to disperse riots and that Amarneh had not been targeted.[4] The incident led to protests by journalists in Palestine and to a sit-in at an Israeli checkpoint in Bethlehem, which was forcibly broken up by the Israeli police.[2] The Committee to Protect Journalists stated that Israeli forces have "repeatedly shown utter disregard for the lives and safety of journalists" in response to the incident.[5] Amarneh was the second Palestinian journalist in 2019 to lose an eye to Israeli forces munitions.[6]
In April 2022, a complaint to the International Criminal Court was filed on Amarneh and three other Palestinian journalists' behalf by the International Federation of Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, claiming that Israeli forces systematically targeted Palestinian journalists.[7]
He was arrested by the Israeli military on 16 October 2023, during the Israel-Hamas War, and detained for nine months without being charged with any offences. Originally detained in the Megiddo prison, he was transferred to in the Ktzi'ot Prison after six months.[8][9] While imprisoned, he was infected with scabies as the disease broke out due to the conditions in the prisons where Palestinians were mass detained. Amarneh also claimed that he had been abused during his detention and had been denied medical attention for diabetes. He was released in July 2024.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Shooting the Messenger: Journalism under fire by the Israeli army". Al Jazeera. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Donning eye patches, Palestinian journalists protest blinding of colleague". The Times of Israel. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ a b Sejrawi, Vera (1 June 2022). "'Press vests won't keep you safe': Journalists recount Israeli army attacks". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Palestinian journalist may lose eye after shot by Israel". AP News. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Palestinian photographer Moath Amarneh injured by Israeli forces". Committee to Protect Journalists. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Palestinian reporter loses eye when Israeli police fire on protesters". Reporters Without Borders. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Complaint filed with ICC over Israel's 'systematic' targeting of Palestinian journalists". Middle East Eye. 28 April 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Moath Amarneh".
- ^ Siqueira, Lucas (29 July 2024). "It's impossible to feel safe, says Palestinian photojournalist Muath Amarneh". Middle East Monitor. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Sajrawi, Vera (25 September 2024). "In Israel's prisons, skin diseases are a method of punishment". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 1 October 2024.