The Palestinian Journalists Union reported Saturday that Nasser Shiokhy, a cameraman working for the Associated Press, was deliberately attacked and beaten by an army commander and a group of soldiers in his battalion in Bethlehem and Beit Ummar near Hebron. Al Shiokhy said that he was attacked by the same officer on Friday while reporting on a nonviolent protest against the Wall in Al Ma’sara village near Bethlehem, and on Saturday while reporting on a similar protest in Beit Ummar, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
The reporter suffered concussions and bruises to several parts of his body as he was cuffed by the soldiers and was violently attacked, soldiers also insulted him and threatened to inflict more harm.
He was moved to a local hospital for treatment especially since one of his ribs was broken in addition to several cuts and bruises in different parts of his body.
The Palestinian Journalists Union said that it will file a complaint to the International Journalists Union as such attacks violate all international treaties regarding protecting reporters.
The Union added that it obtained a video documenting the attacks against the reporter, and that it would send copies of it to different journalist unions around the globe.
The video was captured by colleagues of Al Shiokhy working for Reuters, AP and Pal Media.
The Journalist Union said that this attack is considered a war crimes and that the assailants must be brought to justice.
