CPJ demands progress on US probe of journalist Abu Akleh killing, four years on
Key takeaways
- In a letter to the US Department of Justice — which oversees the Federal Bureau of Investigation — and FBI chief Kash Patel, the global press freedoms group demanded a “public progress update” on Abu Akleh’s death.
- Abu Akleh was 51 when she was fatally shot on May 11, 2022 by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers while covering an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank, CPJ said.
- Then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett initially claimed gunfire from Palestinian fighters was the likely cause of her death.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Add ARY News on Google AAResize New York: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday called for US authorities to relaunch their investigation into the Israeli military’s killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was gunned down while reporting for Al Jazeera in the occupied West Bank in 2022.
In a letter to the US Department of Justice — which oversees the Federal Bureau of Investigation — and FBI chief Kash Patel, the global press freedoms group demanded a “public progress update” on Abu Akleh’s death.
“Although the FBI reportedly opened an investigation into her killing in November 2022, it has made no demonstrable progress,” the letter noted, adding that CPJ was “not aware that any formal interviews have been conducted with witnesses despite the willingness of multiple witnesses to cooperate.”