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CPJ presses FBI
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanded a “public progress update” from United States authorities on the FBI probe into the Israeli military’s killing of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, who was shot dead in the occupied West Bank in 2022.
“demanded a “public progress update” from United States authorities”
In an open letter to the Department of Justice and FBI chief Kash Patel, CPJ said the “effectively stagnant status of this case is inconsistent with ensuring the security of US citizens anywhere in the world.”
CPJ said Abu Akleh was covering Israeli army raids in the West Bank city of Jenin when she was killed on May 11, 2022, and that she was wearing a clearly marked press vest when she was shot dead.
The CPJ letter also said there had been no formal interviews with witnesses “despite the willingness of multiple witnesses to cooperate,” and no signs of FBI activity to gather evidence in Israel or Palestine.
Family and CPJ voices
Abu Akleh’s family said in a statement that “despite the passage of time, justice remains elusive,” adding that the lack of justice “sends a dangerous message that journalists can be targeted without consequence.”
CPJ’s regional director Sara Qudah said, “Without an independent investigation and real accountability, such attacks will only continue to escalate, emboldening those who seek to silence the truth through violence.”
The CPJ letter said the FBI reportedly opened an investigation in November 2022, but “it has made no demonstrable progress,” and CPJ said it was “not aware that any formal interviews have been conducted with witnesses.”
CPJ also pointed to the Israeli military’s statement that “it is not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire which hit” Abu Akleh, while adding there was “a high possibility” she was hit by Israeli gunfire.
Pressure for accountability
CPJ asked for a public update, a commitment to a timeline, and the public release of findings, saying the investigation needs to be “impartial and independent, free from political considerations.”
““impartial and independent, free from political considerations””
The CPJ letter also argued that the “lack of concrete progress” represents a failure by the US government to respond to the “killing of one of its citizens by a foreign military.”
CPJ said Israel has killed 258 journalists and media workers since Abu Akleh’s killing, and it said Israel has acknowledged killing a number of journalists while alleging links to armed groups that CPJ calls “deadly smears.”
In a separate CPJ-linked statement, Abu Akleh’s family said, “we will not stop” pursuing “justice for Shireen through all available avenues,” and it said “No one has been brought to justice, neither for her killing nor for the attack on her funeral.”
