This program is about the search for justice for Jose Couso, a cameraman for the Spanish channel Telecinco, killed by the United States military in Baghdad on April 8, 2003. That day United States soldiers deliberately fired on the Palestine Hotel, where international journalists were covering the second invasion of Iraq, and since then Jose’s family has waged a tireless struggle against impunity. Jose was well aware of the risks of war reporting and took all necessary precautions, says his brother Javier, but he never thought he would be murdered, let alone by the United States. In this video the family presents evidence that this was a deliberate attack on the press. Whistleblower Adrienne Kinney, a former military intelligence officer, testified that the Palestine Hotel was listed as a potential target as early as 2001. Just a few minutes before the hotel was fired upon, two other independent media outlets were hit -- Abu Dhabi television and Al Jazeera, where Tarek Ayyoub was killed. In the attack on the 14th and 15th floors of the Palestine Hotel, both Reuters’ cameraman Taras Protsyuk and Jose Couso were killed. The US government accepts no responsibility for this war crime, says Javier Couso, and has repeatedly pressured the subservient government of Spain to drop lawsuits filed by the family. The case is still open and the family’s struggle for justice continues. teleSUR
