[RSF headline] Television transmitters destroyed and LBC technician killed in Israeli bombing.

Reporters sans Frontieres [RSF, French-based press freedom watchdog] is outraged by the Israeli army's decision to strike telecommunications installations, effectively depriving millions of Lebanese of news, notably the services of the LBC channel. A technician from this station was killed during the bombing of the location in Satka (to the east of Beirut).

"We are outraged by the death of an LBC technician in these attacks, launched without any thought for the necessary protection of news professionals and civilians. Media premises cannot in any way be considered to be military targets. Following the bombing of the offices of Al-Manar, the Lebanese Hezbollah station, the Israeli authorities have stepped up the destruction of means of communication and Lebanese media premises. We call on the Israeli prime minister to call an immediate halt to the strikes against the media and telecommunications installations and any other objective which puts the life of news professionals at risk," said Reporters sans Frontieres.

[Passage omitted]

During the bombing of the LBC premises in Satka, Sleiman Chidia, a technician working for the station, was killed.

Following these acts of destruction, Reporters sans Frontieres plans to refer the matter to the Internationale Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission for it to investigate the bombings, which could constitute a breach of international humanitarian law.

[Passage omitted]

Source: Reporters Sans Frontieres press release, Paris, in French 22 Jul 06

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