Documentary names soldier it says killed Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022

As the third anniversary of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’smurder nears, a documentary offering new evidence about her killing highlights the failure of American and international authorities in investigating the case and securing justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Thursday.

The documentary “Who Killed Shireen?”, produced by U.S.-based media company Zeteo, claims to have identified the Israeli soldier who killed Abu Akleh on May 11, 2022, while she was covering an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in the West Bank town of Jenin.

The IDF said in September 2022, following a brief investigation, that it was not possible to “unequivocally determine” the source of the gunfire, but there was a “high possibility” that Abu Akleh was “accidentally hit” by Israel.

An FBI investigation is now in its 30th month with no resolution in sight, while the International Criminal Court has not responded to repeated calls to launch a probe.

American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh murdered by Israeli soldiers May 11, 2022

“Criminal accountability throughout the chain of command is the only path to justice. Shireen Abu Akleh was an American citizen and journalist, and the U.S. has a clear responsibility to investigate her killing thoroughly and swiftly, and to punish the perpetrators,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “These delays are unacceptable. U.S. failure to protect its own citizens and journalists worldwide allows these killings to continue with impunity.”

Read the report here.

Global press freedom updates

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YouTube channel blocked, journalist assaulted, commentators charged after Kashmir attack in India
Sudanese journalist Hassan Fadl Al-Mawla Mousa killed as RSF seize town
Morocco deports 2 journalists trying to enter Western Sahara
Myanmar journalist Than Htike Myint sentenced to 5 years in prison for terrorism
Veteran publisher Juan Dayang shot and killed in the Philippines
Iraqi authorities suspend political talk show Al-Haq Yuqal, order past episodes removed
6 media executives convicted in Iran amid crackdown on journalists
2nd Italian investigative journalist targeted with smartphone spyware
CPJ, Southeast Asian lawmakers call on ASEAN to protect journalists, media freedom
Mexican journalist Miguel Ángel Anaya missing in Veracruz
CPJ, others call on Nicaragua to reverse decision to leave UNESCO

In a joint statement on the eve of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, CPJ and a group of Southeast Asian lawmakers have called for the “active engagement” of the regional bloc ASEAN in protecting press freedom.

As governments escalate efforts to intimidate reporters and control narratives, journalism — and democracy itself — is under threat, said CPJ and the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, a group of lawmakers working to improve rights in the region, calling for stronger protection mechanisms for reporters and the reform of repressive laws that criminalize journalism.

There were at least 52 journalists behind bars in Southeast Asia on December 1, 2024, CPJ’s latest annual global prison census shows. They were mainly held in Myanmar and Vietnam, while one journalist was being held in the Philippines. The Philippines and Myanmar have also consistently ranked among the top offenders where murderers of journalists go free.

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Ray Hanania

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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