Lebanese newspaper files complaint in France over remarks on killed journalist

Lebanese newspaper files complaint in France over remarks on killed journalist Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar has filed a legal complaint in Paris, accusing former Unifil official General Philippe Sidos of “apology for war crimes” over comments he made about the killing of one of the paper’s journalists, Amal Khalil. Sidos, a former head of the liaison office of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, said during an appearance on BFMTV that “Al-Akhbar is a newspaper close to Hezbollah. The Israelis usually say that journalists who work with Hezbollah are spies working for Hezbollah. So, in this case, it was targeted.” The BFMTV journalists’ association later said it “totally” distanced itself from the “shocking remarks”, stressing that “targeting a journalist, just like a civilian, constitutes a war crime.” Vincent Brengarth, the Paris-based lawyer representing Al-Akhbar, told AFP that “it is essential that an investigation be opened, otherwise there would be a feeling of impunity regarding all expressions that justify war crimes committed.” The 42-year-old Khalil was killed on 22 April while reporting in southern Lebanon in an Israeli attack.