AhlulBayt News Agency: Alumni of the International Sobh Media Festival have strongly condemned Israel’s recent acts of aggression against Iran, including the deadly airstrike on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) headquarters.
In a statement released Tuesday, media professionals, activists, and filmmakers from the festival’s three editions denounced the attack as a deliberate act of terrorism and a blatant violation of Iran’s sovereignty and international law.
The Sobh Media Festival, organized annually by IRIB’s world service, is a prominent platform for global media voices.
The Israeli assault, which began on June 13, has resulted in the deaths of over 600 people, including women and children.
The statement specifically condemned the June 16 airstrike on IRIB’s iconic “Glass Building,” which killed and injured several journalists and staff members.
According to the signatories, the attack aimed to silence a media outlet that has consistently exposed Israeli war crimes, particularly in Gaza.
They emphasized IRIB’s role in broadcasting uncensored reports from the ground, highlighting the suffering of Palestinian civilians, especially women and children.
The statement noted that IRIB’s coverage has challenged censorship and revealed the systematic destruction of hospitals, shelters, and homes by Israeli forces.
“Israel’s destruction of the Glass Building was both an act of revenge and an attempt to silence a transparent voice that, like pure water, will always find its path,” the statement read.
The alumni linked the attack to Israel’s broader policy of targeting journalists, referencing the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and nearly 300 other journalists since October 2023.
They stressed that such attacks violate international law, including the Geneva Conventions and UN Security Council resolutions protecting journalists in conflict zones.
The IRIB Glass Building has long been a symbol of independent reporting and a central venue for the Sobh Festival, amplifying the voices of the oppressed.
To honor the journalists killed in the June 16 strike, the signatories proposed designating that date as the “International Day of the Oppressed Media of Truth.”
They concluded by calling for global action against Israel’s continued war on journalists, truth, and international law.
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