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A coalition of Malaysian non-government organisations (NGO) promoting freedom, justice, and equality for Palestinians through strategies of boycotts, divestment, and sanctions published a press statement yesterday (14 August) addressing the public apology made by East Malaysian newspaper Sarawak Tribune over its report about the death of Al-Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif in Gaza at the hands of Israeli forces.
In its statement, Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia described Sarawak Tribune’s apology as “hollow”.
“Nowhere in the so-called apology is an explicit retraction of its headline which trumpets and repeats the utter falsehood promoted by Zionists that Al Sharif was a militant.
“The report was from a wire agency but the headline was entirely of ST’s making. ST is fully responsible for it,” the coalition said.
They also highlighted a page in the same Sarawak Tribune issue which was almost entirely dedicated to a report on Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Those who would try to argue that a forced closure of a newspaper is an assault on press freedom should ask themselves whether a newspaper whose conduct has demonstrated that it is not in the least outraged by the wanton murder of journalists deserves the protection of freedom of the press,” BDS added.
The coalition has called on the Home Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to close down the Sarawak Tribune.
Al-Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif, along with four other members of the media lost their lives in what was reportedly a targeted attack by Israeli forces on a camp that housed journalists in Gaza last Sunday (10 August).
In its report on the attack, Sarawak Tribune used the headline: Militant Using Press Cover Eliminated.
This sparked public outrage, and many accused against the newspaper of pushing Zionist propaganda, although the paper later published a public apology and denied the allegations.
Local NGO Penang4Palestine also expressed their anger over the matter, saying that the report and headline has tainted the reputation of local media and urging them to make an additional public apology.
READ MORE: Sarawak Tribune Mistakes Al-Jazeera Journalist For Militant, Apologises For “Barbaric” Headline
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