Dylan Collins
WHAT HAPPENED
Dylan Collins, a 37-year-old American video journalist for Agence France-Presse and a Vermont resident, was severely wounded on October 13, 2023, near the village of Alma al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, close to the Israeli border. According to Reuters, AFP, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and UNIFIL investigations, an Israeli Merkava tank fired two shells 37 seconds apart at a group of seven clearly marked journalists filming cross-border clashes from a hilltop. Collins, who wore a helmet and a “PRESS”-marked flak jacket, was struck by shrapnel in the head, arms and torso. The first shell killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and gravely wounded AFP photojournalist Christina Assi, whose right leg was amputated. The Committee to Protect Journalists said there was strong evidence the strike was a war crime. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to investigate, and U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch pressed the State Department and called for a Justice Department probe.
TESTIMONY
“As an American, I thought I'd find support. I thought my government would fight for me.” — Dylan Collins, AFP video journalist wounded in the strike
SOURCES
DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
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