SINDIKASI: Stop killing Palestinian civilian and media workers immediately!

SINDIKASI, February 26, 2024 - Media workers and journalists in Gaza have been facing deadly risk when carrying out journalistic works amid Israeli military airstrikes and ground invasions, increasing telecommunications disruptions, scarcity of basic necessities, and power outages there.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military stated that it could not guarantee the safety of journalists working in the Gaza area from their attacks, as reported by the Reuters news agency and Agence France Press (AFP).

The Indonesian Media and Creative Industry Workers Union for Democracy, SINDIKASI, urged immediate stop of the invasion in Palestine. “Conditions in Gaza continue to worsen for civilians, including media workers and journalists reporting to the world the unconscionable atrocities committed by Israel. The Israeli military must stop this massacre immediately without conditions," said Chair of SINDIKASI Ikhsan Raharjo.

International Federation of Journalists reported an unprecedented killing of media workers with at least 102 journalists and media staff dead since the start of the war in Gaza; 92 of them were Palestinians. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported as of February 25 2024 that 88 journalists and media workers were dead, 16 people were reported injured, 4 people were missing, 25 people were arrested, as well as a series of violence, threats, cyber attacks, censorship and murder experienced families of media workers and journalists.

The data above exclude other reports of media workers and journalists killed, missing, injured and threatened but not yet confirmed as well as the damage to their private homes and media offices there.

SINDIKASI also urges the International Criminal Court to speed up the investigation against Israel to ensure that all perpetrators of violence targeting civilians, including media workers and journalists in Gaza, receive the maximum punishment.

As an affiliate of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), SINDIKASI also calls on all Indonesian media workers and journalists to demonstrate support for their colleagues in Palestine.

Support can take the form of videos, photos or text uploaded on social media using the hashtag #SupportPalestinianJournalists.

This call is a simultaneous call for solidarity made by the world media workers' union on International Day for Palestinian Journalists which falls on February 26 2024.

"Supporting the struggle for Palestinian independence has been and will always be an honor and pride for the Indonesian nation," concluded Ikhsan.