AFP photojournalist Christina Assi, who was severely wounded during an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, carried the Olympic torch in Paris on Sunday to honor journalists wounded and killed in the field.
The Lebanese photojournalist said she felt “incredible” support. “It’s amazing and heartwarming to see all these people cheering after we survived a targeted attack as journalists,” she added.
AFP videographer Dylan Collins, an American hurt in the same incident, pushed Assi’s wheelchair as she carried the torch.
Assi said that she wished slain Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and other journalists killed in the fighting “were here to witness this today.” Assi was with Abdallah, who was killed covering cross-border clashes between the Israeli military and armed groups in southern Lebanon in October last year.
Six journalists from Reuters, Al Jazeera and the two from AFP were wounded in the incident.
All three media outlets accused Israel of targeting their journalists, who maintained they were positioned far from the clashes, with vehicles clearly marked as press.
International human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said the attack was a deliberate attack on civilians and should be investigated as a war crime.
The Israeli military at the time said that the incident was under review, maintaining that it didn’t target journalists.
Assi had to have her right leg amputated. “I wish I could have honored journalists this way while walking and in my best health,” she said.
Read More
