Participants in World Press Freedom Day, organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, called for the need to achieve justice for the assassination of Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, and for strong measures on the ground to pressure Israel.
The episode (2023/5/4) of the program "Min Washington" focused on the activities of World Press Freedom Day in New York, where the issue of Al Jazeera journalists detained in Egypt was addressed, and the lack of justice in the assassination of Shireen on May 11 with an explosive bullet that hit her head, during her coverage of the Israeli occupation forces' incursion into Jenin camp in the West Bank.
In this context, Al Jazeera screened its investigative film about Shireen's assassination, which provided evidence that she was deliberately killed by an Israeli bullet.
Speaking to the program, the International Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion, Irene Khan, addressed Shireen's case, and said that she was killed while wearing a jacket that read "Press", stressing that conferences do not provide a solution to her case or the issue of journalists who are being persecuted and killed.
Khan called on the international community to take strong action on the ground to pressure Israel and to ensure justice for Shireen's death is served.
She confirmed that she had told the ICC prosecutor who is working on cases of journalist killings in Ukraine not to forget Palestine and Shireen.
Last year, Al Jazeera Media Network submitted the case of Shireen's assassination by Israeli occupation forces to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The network said in a statement that the move comes after its legal team conducted an investigation that uncovered new evidence that clearly shows that Shireen and her colleagues came under direct fire from the Israeli occupation forces, and that the claim of the Israeli authorities that she killed Shireen by mistake, during an exchange of fire, is baseless.
Khan said the failure to deliver justice for the murder of Al Jazeera reporter was a blow to human rights, democracy and development, stressing the need to keep her case in the news and to keep her case in the news and to keep her reminded and drawn attention to her at all times.
It also called on the international community to establish an international task force and an international investigative mechanism, with the task of working for justice when States do not respond properly.
Biden Administration Doesn't Demand Israel Hold Accountable
For her part, Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib raised the issue of the US position on Shireen's murder in an interview with Min Washington.
President Joe Biden's administration has not done enough to bring justice to the case, and is far from that goal even though it had a chance to do so.
She said she was disappointed and angry with the U.S. government, which is not demanding accountability for Israel, which it said is tax-funded by Americans and practices violence and repression against Palestinians.
Rashida said she would continue her efforts with colleagues in the US Congress to pressure the Biden administration to bring justice for Shireen's murder.
Tawfik Jilassi, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Communication and Media, told Min Washington about the tragedies of journalists around the world and said the figures were terrifying about the number of journalists killed for their work.