The Israeli soldier who physically assaulted a CNN photojournalist in March was formally reprimanded by his commanders for his use of force but faces no criminal charges in the matter, the Israeli military said Monday.
“The investigation found that during the encounter between the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers and the media crew in the area, physical force was used by one of the soldiers against a photographer from the media organization,” the military said in a statement to CNN.
The military police’s criminal investigations unit probed the assault, but military prosecutors ultimately did not pursue criminal charges, turning instead to the command’s disciplinary process.
“After the soldier expressed remorse for his actions during the disciplinary process, he received a formal command reprimand,” the IDF said. A military reprimand enters a soldier’s personnel file and negatively impacts his or her future in the IDF. The IDF declined to name the soldier, who was a reservist.
The investigation was initiated after the soldier put CNN photojournalist Cyril Theophilos in a chokehold and forced him to the ground while he was filming in the village of Tayasir in the occupied West Bank in March. Israeli settlers had just established an illegal outpost at the site.
