Ibis Blog

Category: English

  • 104 journalists killed in 2024, over half in Gaza: press group

    BRUSSELS, Belgium — This year has been “particularly deadly” for journalists with 104 killed worldwide, over half of them being in Gaza, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said Tuesday.

    The toll for 2024 is down on the 129 deaths in 2023 but still makes it “one of the worst years” on record, IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger told AFP.

    According to the figures collated by the press group 55 Palestinian media workers were killed in 2024 in the face of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

    “Since the start of the war on 7 October 2023, at least 138 Palestinian journalists have been killed,” the federation said.

    Bellanger condemned the “massacre that is happening before the eyes of the world.”

    He said that “many journalists were targeted” in Gaza deliberately, while others had found themselves “in the wrong place, at the wrong time” in the fighting.

    After the Middle East, the second most dangerous region for journalists was Asia with 20 killed, including six in Pakistan, five in Bangladesh and three in India.

    In Europe, the war in Ukraine continued to claim journalist victims with four killed in 2024.

    Meanwhile, the IFJ said that across the globe 520 journalists were in prison — a sharp uptick on the 427 being held behind bars last year.

    China topped the list as the worst jailer of reporters with 135 being detained, including in Hong Kong, where the authorities have been criticized by Western nations for imposing national security laws quashing dissent and other freedoms.

    The IFJ’s count for the number of journalists killed is typically far higher than that of Reporters Without Borders, due to different counting methods.

    In 2023 Reporters Without Borders said 54 journalists and two collaborators were killed in the course of their work. The NGO will publish its own figure for 2024 later this week.

    AN-AFP

  • Syria rebels say found dozens of tortured bodies in hospital near Damascus

    Sanitary servicemen arrange the bodies of dead persons at the morgue of a hospital in Damascus on December 10, 2024. (AFP)

    BEIRUT, Lebanon — Rebel fighters told AFP they found around 40 bodies bearing signs of torture inside a hospital morgue near Damascus on Monday, stuffed into body bags with numbers and sometimes names written on them.

    “I opened the door of the morgue with my own hands, it was a horrific sight: about 40 bodies were piled up showing signs of gruesome torture,” Mohammed Al-Hajj, a fighter with rebel factions from the country’s south told AFP by telephone from Damascus.

    AFP saw dozens of photographs and video footage that Hajj said he took himself and showed corpses with evident signs of torture: eyes and teeth gouged out, blood splattered and bruising.

    The footage taken in Harasta hospital also showed a piece of cloth containing bones, while a decomposing body’s rib cage peaked through the skin.

    The bodies were placed in white plastic bags or wrapped in white cloth, some stained with blood.

    Corpses had pieces of cloth or adhesive tape bearing scribbled numbers and sometimes names.

    Some seemed to have been killed recently.

    While some of the dead were wearing clothes, others were naked.

    Islamist-led rebels seized power on Sunday ousting former President Bashar Assad, whose family ruled Syria with an iron fist for more than five decades.

    At the core of the system of rule that Assad inherited from his father Hafez was a brutal complex of prisons and detention centers used to eliminate dissent by jailing those suspected of stepping out of the ruling Baath party’s line.

    Thousands of people hoping to reunite with loved ones who disappeared in Assad’s jails had gathered Monday evening at the notorious Saydnaya prison outside Damascus, AFP correspondents said.

    Hajj said the fighters received a tip from a hospital worker about the bodies that were being dumped there.

    “We informed the military command of what we found and coordinated with the Syrian Red Crescent, which transported the bodies to a Damascus hospital, so that families can come and identify them,” he added.

    Diab Serriya, who cofounded the Association of Detainees and the Missing in Sednaya Prison (ADMSP) watchdog, told AFP the bodies were likely detainees from Saydnaya prison.

    “Harasta Hospital served as the main center for collecting the bodies of detainees,” he said.

    “Bodies would be sent there from Saydnaya prison or Tishrin Hospital, and from Harasta, they would be transferred to mass graves,” he added.
    “It is very important to document what we are seeing in the video.”

    According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, at least 60,000 people have been killed under torture or because of terrible conditions in Assad’s detention centers.

    Since the start of the conflict, President Bashar Assad’s government has been accused of human rights abuses and of cases of torture, rape and summary executions.

    Hajj said he hoped that efforts will focus on “exposing the crimes committed by Assad in prisons and detention centers” during the transitional period.

    “We hope Assad will be held to account as a war criminal,” he said.

    AN-AFP

  • US searching for journalist Austin Tice in Syria prisons, White House says

    WASHINGTON — U.S. officials are communicating with people on the ground in Syria to seek information about Austin Tice, an American journalist captured more than 12 years ago in Syria, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday.

    “This is a top priority for us – to find Austin Tice, to locate the prison where he may be held, get him out, get him home safely to his family,” Sullivan said in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

    “”We are talking through the Turks and others to people on the ground in Syria to say, ‘Help us with this. Help us get Austin Tice home.’”

    Tice, a former U.S. Marine and a freelance journalist, was 31 when he was abducted in August 2012 while reporting in Damascus on the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted by Syrian rebels who seized the capital Damascus on Sunday. Syria had denied he was being held.

    Assad fled to Russia after a 13-year civil war and six decades of his family’s autocratic rule.

    President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the U.S. government believes Tice is alive.

    “We believe he’s alive. We think we can get him back but we have no direct evidence to that yet.

    And Assad should be held accountable,” Biden said. “We have to identify where he is.”

    Sullivan met Tice’s mother, Debra Tice, on Friday at the White House after she told journalists at the National Press Club that she believed her son was alive.

    REUTERS

  • Turkish military helicopters collide in midair, killing 6 military personnel

    ANKARA — Two Turkish military helicopters collided in midair on Monday, causing one of them to crash and killing six military personnel on board, officials said. The second helicopter landed safely.

    Five of the victims died at the site of the accident while a sixth died of his injuries at a hospital, the defense ministry said.

    The crash occurred in the southwestern province of Isparta during regular training flights, according to the region’s governor, Abdullah Erin.

    A brigadier general who was in charge of the military aviation school was among the victims, he said.

    It was not immediately clear what caused the two helicopters to come into contact. Erin said an investigation has been launched.

    The private DHA news agency said the UH-1 utility helicopter crashed into a field and split in two. The second helicopter landed some 400 meters (yards) away.

    AN-AP

  • 2 dead, 8 injured in explosion at Italy fuel depot

    ROME — Two people were found dead and eight were injured after a massive explosion at Eni fuel spot near central Italy’s Florence on Monday, according to Italy’s media Corriere della Sera.

    Another four remain missing, reported the local media.

    XINHUA

  • Death toll rises to 6 as search continues after The Hague explosion

    THE HAGUE — A sixth body has been recovered from the rubble of the apartment building in The Hague, the Netherlands, that partially collapsed after a powerful explosion on Saturday, Dutch emergency services said Monday.

    The explosion and subsequent fire at the apartment building have claimed the lives of six people so far. Emergency services continue to search for additional victims, with a small section of the disaster site still to be examined.

    Police have identified four of the six victims, including a child. Authorities noted that the identification process has been challenging due to the intense fire that burned in the rubble for hours after the explosion.

    Five people were rescued from the rubble, with four of them hospitalized.

    Efforts to determine the cause of the explosion are ongoing. Local authorities have announced the launch of a criminal investigation.

    The blast, which occurred in the northeastern Mariahoeve district, caused a partial collapse of the apartment building on Tarwekamp Street.

    XINHUA

  • Explosion in central Israel ‘likely’ drone launched from Yemen: army

    JERUSALEM — A drone, likely launched from Yemen, exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israeli city of Yavne on Monday, causing no injuries, the Israeli army and emergency services said.

    “Following the initial report, a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that likely originated in Yemen impacted in the area of Yavne,” the army said.

    A spokesperson for Israeli emergency service MDA said reports were received of “an explosion on the 15th floor balcony” of the building in Yavne, and that after a search, no injuries were reported.

    Houthi rebels in Yemen, supported by Iran, have launched several attacks against Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been at war with militant group Hamas for over a year.

    In July, a Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

    AN-AFP

  • Georgian journalists allege brutal beatings as protests rage against ending EU talks

    A photographer jumps off the curb as police officers use a water cannon to disperse supporters of Georgia’s opposition parties during a rally to protest against the government’s decision to suspend talks on joining the European Union in Tbilisi, Georgia December 7, 2024. (REUTERS)

    TBILISI, Georgia — Tens of thousands of people joined an 11th straight day of protests in Georgia on Sunday after the governing party moved to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union, while a separate demonstration decried violence against Georgian journalists covering the rallies.

    Police have been using increasing force in their attempts to curb the demonstrations, which have centered on the parliament building in the capital, Tbilisi. Riot police have used water cannons and tear gas every day to disperse the rallies, beating scores of protesters who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the Georgian capital’s central boulevard.

    At Saturday night’s demonstration, reporter Maka Chikhladze and her colleague from the independent Pirveli TV channel were targeted by a violent mob, Chikhladze told The Associated Press.

    Chikladze said her colleague managed to capture footage of men dressed in black who were beating demonstrators before they turned on the pair, violently pushing Chikhladze to the ground. She later told AP that her colleague sustained a head injury and had his camera stolen.

    Chikhladze charged that Georgia’s government was using bands of thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, an allegation denied by representatives of the Georgian Dream party.

    On Sunday, several hundred media workers marched down Tbilisi’s central Rustaveli Avenue before putting up posters of colleagues they say had been assaulted while doing their jobs.

    “Our colleagues are beaten, injured, some remain in hospital in serious condition,” TV Pirveli anchor Ekaterine Mishveladze told AP.

    In a separate incident Saturday, AP journalists saw several masked men violently tackle a protester attempting to enter the offices of an opposition party, Ahali. The man, Koba Khabazi, lay slumped on the ground while his attackers repeatedly kicked him. He later showed AP his head injuries.

    Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in the disputed Oct. 26 election, a vote widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s EU aspirations. The opposition and the pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with neighboring Russia’s help and have boycotted parliament sessions.

    Opposition protests gained new momentum after the Georgian Dream’s decision last Thursday to put the EU accession talks on hold.

    Riot police have used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the rallies and beat scores of protesters, who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on Rustaveli Avenue.

    The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials. Speaking Thursday at a ministerial conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced what he described as the brutal “repression of those calling for their country to stay on the path to closer ties with Europe.”

    Mamuka Mdinanradze, leader of the Georgian Dream party, condemned mob violence against protesters during a news briefing Sunday, and denied any connection with the government.

    The office of Georgia’s rights ombudsman on Sunday issued a statement criticizing Georgian police for “failing to take adequate measures” to ensure safety during the demonstrations.

    AN-AP

  • Lebanese army says 1 person killed, 4 soldiers wounded in Israeli strike

    BEIRUT — Lebanon’s army said one person was killed and four soldiers wounded Monday in an Israeli strike in the country’s south, where a fragile ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel came into force last month.

    “The Israeli enemy targeted a car near the Saf Al-Hawa/Bint Jbeil military checkpoint, killing a citizen and lightly wounding four soldiers,” the army said in a statement.

    The official National News Agency reported that “enemy aircraft struck a car on the Saf Al-Hawa road in Bint Jbeil near an army checkpoint, killing the driver, a civilian.”

    Israel stepped up its campaign in south Lebanon in late September after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah in support of its ally Hamas following the Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.

    A ceasefire came into effect on November 27 and is generally holding, though both sides have accused the other of repeated violations.

    As part of the agreement, the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws over a period of 60 days.

    Hezbollah is also meant to withdraw its forces north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle its military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

    The Israeli army has repeatedly told Lebanese residents not to enter border areas, issuing another warning on Monday morning.

    Last Monday, Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed 11 people, according to the country’s health ministry, shortly after Hezbollah claimed its first attack on an Israeli position since the truce began.

    The same day, the Lebanese army in a statement said a soldier was wounded in an Israeli strike in the country’s eastern Hermel region.

    Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said Wednesday the death toll in Lebanon in more than a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah had reached 4,047 people, most of them since a September escalation, including 316 children.

    AN-AFP

  • Death toll in Indonesia’s West Java landslide, floods rises to 10

    JAKARTA — Hydrometeorological disasters that have hit Sukabumi in Indonesia’s West Java province since last Tuesday have claimed at least 10 lives, with two others still missing, the local disaster mitigation agency said on Monday.

    According to Deden Sumpena, acting chief of the Sukabumi disaster mitigation agency, floods, strong winds, and landslides have occurred across approximately 40 sub-districts, forcing around 900 families to seek temporary shelter.

    A joint rescue team, including military and police personnel, continued evacuation efforts and the search for victims amid uncertain weather conditions.

    Earlier, Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency warned of potential hydrometeorological disasters after detecting two developing tropical cyclones near Indonesia’s territorial waters as of Monday.

    The National Disaster Management Agency has urged local governments to enhance disaster preparedness by ensuring the readiness of equipment, personnel, and resources, especially in high-risk areas such as hills and cliffs.

    XINHUA