Three years on, and no justice in journalist Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing
PICTURE: Al Jazeera urged the international community to condemn and hold the Israeli forces accountable for the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh/Al Jazeera
UPDATE: The first edition of the Shireen Abu Akleh Prize has been awarded to Russian journalist Antonina Favorskaya in a ceremony in Paris on 12 May 2025. The prize recognised the courage and professional commitment of Favorskaya, a Russian journalist who is serving a five and a half years jail sentence in a prison in Moscow.
Favorskaya was found guilty on 15 April 2025 of ‘participating in an extremist group’ for her alleged links to late opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption group. She filmed the last video of Navalny in February 2024 and was arrested in March 2024 after visiting his grave, where she laid flowers and took photographs*
International Federation of Journalists
Three years have passed since Israeli forces killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh while she was covering a raid in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, on 11 May 2022.
They shot at the prominent Al Jazeera reporter despite her wearing a helmet and a clearly marked press vest.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate this killing and the systematic targeting of journalists in Palestine, as requested by the IFJ-PJS complaint lodged in September 2022.
Impunity persists in the case of Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing, three years after her murder. Her employer, Al Jazeera Media Network, condemned the killing as a ‘cold-blooded assassination’. Abu Akleh joined a long list of journalists targeted and killed by Israeli forces in Palestine, a list that has continued to grow since 7 October 2023.
Following Abu Akleh’s killing, the Israeli government tried to put the blame for it on Palestinian militants on the ground. However, this false narrative was quickly discredited by journalists who were at the scene, who confirmed that the bullets that killed their colleague came from the direction of the Israeli forces.
Four months later, Israel admitted that there was a ‘high probability’ that its troops were responsible for Abu Akleh’s death, but they never identified an individual soldier and did not provide further information to the US administration.
The US published the findings of an independent forensic and ballistic analysis in July 2022. While revealing that the shot that killed Abu Akleh had likely been fired from an Israeli military’s position, they could not conclude that there had been an intention to kill the reporter.
In October 2023, the United Nations determined that Israel ‘intentionally or recklessly violated the right to life of Shireen’. In May 2025, a US-made documentary claimed to identify the shooter that killed the journalist.However, no one has been brought to justice.
Abu Akleh’s killing sent a chilling message to Palestinian journalists on the ground as she was a well known face and highly respected journalist in the Arab world
‘We realised that none of us are safe,’ said Areen Al-Amleh, a journalist for Palestine public TV based in Hebron and a safety trainer accredited by the IFJ.
In September 2022, the IFJ, its affiliate, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS), and the International Center of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) lodged a second complaint to the ICC regarding the circumstances of Abu Akleh’s killing and the shooting of Palestinian journalist Ali al-Samoudi.
This second complaint followed a first submission to the Court in April 2022, which requested that the ICC Prosecutor launch an investigation into the systematic targeting, maiming and killing of journalists and the destruction of media infrastructure in Palestine.
The Federation is pursuing justice at the ICC as action from this Court could set a precedent in international law to end impunity for the killing of journalists worldwide.
The IFJ is continuing to gather evidence about the targeting of Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces for the purposes of further ICC complaints. Since 7 October 2023, 159 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza with impunity.
On 12 May in Paris, the IFJ and the Union internationale de la presse francophone (UPF) will award the Shireen Abu Akleh Prize in recognition of the courage and commitment of a woman journalist.
Jennifer Robinson and Tatyana Eatwell, barristers at Doughty Street Chambers in London, who have acted as lead lawyers in the cases for the IFJ, said: ‘Today is a stark reminder of the ongoing impunity enjoyed by those responsible for Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing.’
‘It remains the case that there has been no transparent, independent investigation into her killing, and no accountability. Her case is emblematic of the systematic failure by the Israeli authorities to prevent and punish the targeting of journalists working in Palestine by members of its security forces.
‘This is a failing that has persisted for years, before the current conflict, and continues today. This failure places Israel in serious violation of its obligations under international law.
‘The international community must act to ensure accountability and justice for her killing, and for all journalists wrongfully and unlawfully killed for doing the jobs.’
IFJ President Dominique Pradalié said: ‘Ongoing impunity in the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh is a blatant attack on Palestinian journalists and journalists everywhere.’
‘Israel must be held accountable for its systematic targeting of journalists in Palestine. We urge the ICC to investigate these crimes, including Shireen’s brutal murder, and we call on states to adopt the IFJ-led Convention for the safety of journalists. Silencing journalists means killing democracy.’
