Algerian minister consoles Al Mayadeen over martyred journalists

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
27 Nov 2023 20:57

Algeria's Communication Minister says international organizations concerned with journalists' affairs should take a firm stance against the Israeli entity over its crimes against journalists.

Algerian Minister of Communication Mohamed Laagab in a meeting in Algiers, Algeria, in 2023 (Radio Algeria)

Algerian Minister of Communication, Mohamed Laagab, expressed solidarity with Al Mayadeen Media Network, mourning the loss of journalist Farah Omar and photojournalist Rabih Me'mari, who were deliberately killed in an Israeli airstrike on November 21 in South Lebanon while covering the events on the Lebanese-Palestinian border.

The aggression also led to the martyrdom of Hussein Akil, who was collaborating with the team on-site during their coverage.

A memorial is scheduled to be held on Tuesday in honor of the martyrs.

Media boycott and legal action

Talking to Al Mayadeen, Laagab honored the memories of journalists who were martyred in Lebanon and occupied Palestine in the Israeli aggression, calling on international organizations concerned with journalists' affairs to take a firm stance against the entity.

Since the initiation of the Israeli war on Gaza, the number of journalists killed in the aggression has reached at least 63. The deliberate targeting by the occupation is part of its strategy to eliminate evidence, obscure chances to document its war crimes, and undermine the Palestinian narrative.

The Minister called for a media boycott of the occupation entity for "spreading lies and killing." He initially directed this call to the Arab media before extending it to "all free journalists in the world."

Commenting on the Israeli crimes, he described the entity as "a beast beyond description. It does not respect international laws and human ethics." He noted that the number of martyrs since the beginning of the Israeli aggression, especially in Gaza, is unprecedented in any "hotspot in the world," as he put it.

Laagab highlighted that Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune personally called for lawyers worldwide to file lawsuits in international criminal courts against the Israeli entity.

Adding to his statements, Laagab mentioned that the International Criminal Court accepted the lawsuit filed by South Africa and some other countries but did not accept Algeria's due to its non-signatory status to the Rome Statute.

Global solidarity and condemnation

Political, official, party figures, media, and union entities from Lebanon, Arab countries, and across the world continue to visit Al Mayadeen to offer condolences for the martyrdom of Farah and Rabih. They also participated in the prayers and the funeral procession held for them.

Many entities and organizations from abroad also expressed their solidarity with the news network and mourned the two martyrs.

These entities unanimously agreed that the repeated crimes of the occupation against the media, particularly against the Al Mayadeen channel, indicate a state of hysteria and an attempt to silence voices and obscure its brutal crimes.

Aleida Guevara in Beirut to express solidarity

Earlier today, revolutionary leader Ernesto Che Guevara’s daughter, Aleida Guevara, arrived in Beirut to express solidarity with Al Mayadeen Media Network after it was banned in occupied Palestine.

Guevara is scheduled to attend the memorial council and deliver a speech.

Farah Hisham Omar, 25, was born on June 18, 1998, and is from Machghara in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon. She joined Al Mayadeen in 2021 as a news editor and correspondent and was pursuing her Master's degree in journalism and media from the Lebanese University.

Rabih Me'mari, 44, was born on January 1, 1979, and hails from Tripoli, northern Lebanon. Rabih was married to Manal Jaafar, who also works at Al Mayadeen Media Network, with whom he has two children, Rami (4) and Maria (2). Me'mari joined Al Mayadeen shortly after its launch in July 2012 as a photojournalist, with over 20 years of experience in the field.

Aleida Che Guevara landed in #Beirut on a visit to show solidarity with #AlMayadeen following its ban from occupied #Palestine and the assassination of the martyrs Farah Omar and Rabih Me'mari. pic.twitter.com/f6fLAOoAHS
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 27, 2023