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December 13, 2024 – South Africa/Libya –
South African photojournalist Anton Hammerl was killed on April 5, 2011, by pro-Gaddafi forces in the Libyan desert while covering the civil war. His body was never recovered, and for over a month, his family was misled to believe he was in custody. After being informed of his death, the family entered a long period of sorrow and unanswered questions, compounded when Libya withheld his passport despite years of international inquiries.
On December 12, 2024, Hammerl’s widow, Penny Sukhraj-Hammerl—a journalist herself—filed a formal complaint with the U.N. Human Rights Committee, demanding that Libya recover her husband’s remains and hold those responsible for his death accountable. Alongside renowned human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Gallagher, she argues that Hammerl’s killing may constitute a war crime under international law and is seeking justice for both the perpetrators and the “culture of impunity” that persists.
For thirteen years, clouded by misinformation and government silence, Penny has fought to piece together the truth. Hammerl’s passport emerged in 2016, carefully held by South African officials, provoking suspicion regarding delayed disclosures that might have aided the recovery of his remains—a fact that, years after his death, his family painfully learned Libya had retained vital evidence.
Hammerl was one of several journalists killed during the conflict, including Ali Hassan al-Jaber, Mohammed Nabbous, Tim Hetherington, and Chris Hondros. In 2011, Human Rights Watch and CPJ criticized Libya’s handling, citing treaty obligations to locate missing persons and the illegality of enforced disappearances. Even the International Criminal Court had opened inquiries into potential war crimes before Gaddafi’s collapse halted proceedings.
With the new complaint, the Hammerl family is encouraging international bodies to demand answers—not only regarding who fired the fatal shots but also who orchestrated the cover-up. They aim to break a cycle of shameful neglect that followed his death, and to bring his remains back to the family for burial. Supported by global press freedom networks, this effort places the case before the U.N.’s highest human rights body, seeking a long-overdue reckoning for the murder of a dedicated journalist.
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