Khaberni - "Amman Arab University" hosts journalist Hassan Al-Shoubaki in a seminar about the risks faced by journalists in conflict areas
Starting with the mission of the Faculty of Law at Amman Arab University to enhance legal awareness and instill the principles of human rights and the protection of field workers, the faculty hosted Professor Hassan Al-Shoubaki, the manager of Al Jazeera's office in Jordan and a war correspondent who covered many conflicts from the front lines, in a specialized seminar titled "Protecting Journalists and the Challenges They Face During Armed Conflicts", in the presence of Professor Dr. Mohammad Al-Dhnaibat, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Dr. Alaa Al-Fawa'ir, Associate Dean and Head of the Private Law Department, and Dr. Sultan Al-Attiyeh, Head of the Law Department, alongside several faculty members and college students.
During the workshop, Professor Al-Shoubaki pointed out that the number of journalists who lost their lives in conflict zones has been increasing over the past decades. He referred to Al Jazeera's caravan of martyrs that were targeted while performing their professional duties, saying: "We lost dear colleagues who carried the camera as a tool to protect the truth, and several Al Jazeera journalists were martyred in conflict sites, from Palestine to Iraq and Syria, because they chose to be on the front lines to report what was happening without falsification. These sacrifices impose a double responsibility on the international community to activate international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of journalists and war correspondents and prevent them from becoming direct targets", and added that the lack of accountability encourages recurrent violations, calling for building an effective protection system that ensures the journalist can perform their duty without their life being the price, and Al-Shoubaki gave a vivid narrative of his field experiences on the front lines during the seminar, revealing the magnitude of risks journalists face while covering conflicts, and how the texts of international humanitarian law are tested in reality in conflict environments.
In this regard, Dr. Al-Dhnaibat emphasized that hosting a prominent media figure like Professor Hassan Al-Shoubaki aligns with the college's vision to enhance the practical and applied aspect within the legal education environment, and enable students to view the real-world challenges. Al-Dhnaibat noted that these seminars are an important platform that allows students to understand the vital role of journalism in armed conflicts and the necessity of protecting journalists according to the provisions of international humanitarian law, praising the significant interaction shown by the students and their interest in media issues and human rights.
For his part, Dr. Al-Attiyeh affirmed that the presence of Professor Al-Shoubaki holds special value for the students and for the course, pointing out that he represents a live witness to the sacrifices made by journalists in conflict zones, and added that we consider Al-Shoubaki among the avengers for the Al Jazeera journalists who were martyred while covering the conflicts, as he is a witness to the sacrifices of media personnel in the pursuit of truth, and his hosting is part of the department's efforts to link the theoretical legal side with the real field practices.
Dr. Basem Al-Assaf, a faculty member in the Faculty of Law and lecturer of the course "Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflicts according to International Law" and author of the book on protecting journalists in armed conflicts, stated that organizing this seminar is in line with enhancing the practical dimension of academic courses in the college, and explained that the seminar was dedicated to students of the course, alongside students of the General International Law course for postgraduate studies taught by Dr. Faisal Al-Abadi, with the aim of enabling students to link the theoretical framework of international law with the real experiences that correspondents live in conflict zones, and Al-Assaf mentioned that the participation of Professor Al-Shoubaki, the media personality and field correspondent, constituted a quality addition for the students, as it carried real experiences reflecting the reality of journalists' work in conflict zones, and contributes to deepening their understanding of the legal aspects related to their protection.
Dr. Faisal Al-Abadi, a faculty member at the Faculty of Law, pointed out that the protection of journalists is based on an integrated system of conventions and international references, explaining that the seminar addressed the legal framework regulating this protection, starting from the Geneva Conventions and additional protocols, reaching the relevant Security Council resolutions, and he added that the presence of a field correspondent who has experienced the reality on the ground assists the students in understanding how legal texts are transformed into actual commitments tested in the conflict arenas.
Moreover, the college students discussed the most significant legal and ethical issues faced by journalists in conflict zones, along with exploring ways to activate the provisions of international humanitarian law to ensure the protection of "messengers of truth" worldwide.
