One year on, family, friends, and fans honour Shireen Abu Akleh
The seasoned Al Jazeera journalist is still a household name, one year after Israeli troops killed her.
A year after veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces, no one has been brought to justice for her murder.
The Palestinian-American journalist – beloved by viewers in the Middle East and the world – was killed by an Israeli sniper on May 11, 2022, while covering an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp.
Shireen joined Al Jazeera in 1997 as a field journalist, one of the few female Palestinian journalists at the time, and her career paved the way for many young women to become journalists.
Demands for justice for Shireen’s murder have so far gone unanswered.
In December, Al Jazeera Media Network asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate, but no action was taken.
The network conducted a six-month investigation to collect evidence for the request, including witness statements and video footage.
The United States has taken a mixed stance on the murder of one of its citizens, with State Department spokesman Ned Price telling reporters at the time: “We oppose it in this case… We maintain our longstanding objections to it investigation of the ICC into the Palestinian situation.”
The US position was that Shireen was killed by Israeli gunfire and that it “has no reason to believe that this was intentional”. But this was not the result of an investigation by Washington, which her family has long called for, but rather a “summary” of Israeli and Palestinian investigations by the US Security Coordinator.
The network said in a statement Thursday that it will continue to “ensure that its killers are held accountable, including through the International Criminal Court in The Hague.”
“The network reiterates its call on international human rights and press freedom organizations to continue to support Shireen’s case and end impunity for crimes against journalists,” the statement said.
Several memorial services will be held on Thursday to honor her unique style of journalism and mark the anniversary of her murder.
In Doha, Qatar, Al Jazeera staff attended a memorial gathering to commemorate her legacy as a reporter for the 24-hour Arab news channel.
In the occupied West Bank, the foundation stone is laid for a museum dedicated to her in Ramallah.
Bir Zeit University will soon announce three winners of a media award named after Shireen.
On Tuesday, hundreds attended a cultural memorial organized by the Popular Art Center (PAC), a Ramallah-based Palestinian cultural organization.
On Sunday, hundreds of Shireen’s friends and family gathered in Beit Hanina, occupied East Jerusalem, for a memorial mass in her honor.