Reporters Without Borders urges investigation after journalist student killed

Reporters Without Borders has called on Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz to open an investigation into the death of student journalist Mohammad Abu Halimeh, who was killed on 22 March 2004 while covering clashes at Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The international press freedom organisation also called for the conclusions of the Israeli Army investigation into the death of British documentary film-maker James Miller to be given to his family and made public as quickly as possible. It is almost a year since Miller was killed by Israeli shooting on 3 May 2003 when he was working on a documentary in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. Eyewitneses and the conclusions of the investigation backed by his family have called his death "deliberate killing". "In the same town of Nablus, the Israeli Army already killed a cameraman for US news agency APTN Nazeh Darwazi on 19 April 2003. Shamefully, no investigation was announced and no action taken against the perpetrators even though eye witnesses and footage of the incident showed there was a serious breach of regulations," said Reporters Without Borders in its letter to the minister. "Today we are calling for an honest and serious investigation to be held into the circumstances of the death of Mohammad Abu Halimeh to bring an end to the impunity enjoyed by Israeli soldiers," the organisation added. Palestinian hospital and security sources said that an Israeli bullet had apparently fatally wounded Halimeh in the stomach. Eye witnesses told Reporters Without Borders that the journalist student was about 50 metres from the soldier who opened fire on him. He was standing in front of one of the main entrances of the Balata camp and had a camera around his neck. No exchanges of fire had been heard at the time. Agence France-Presse said Israeli soldiers opened fire against stone-throwing Palestinians. Halimeh, aged 22, had been working for several months as a volunteer for An-Najah University radio in Nablus, where he was completing his journalism studies. He had been reporting live by telephone on the clashes at the Balata camp about ten minutes before his death.