Rights Groups Demand US Action on Killing of Al Jazeera Journalist, Push for 'Justice for Shireen Act
Rights groups in the US urge Congress to pass the Justice for Shireen Act, demanding an investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, by Israeli forces. Over 60 organizations have joined the call for justice. The bill would require public reporting on the incident by the FBI and State Department, highlighting the need to hold accountable any actions that violate international human rights law.
Rights groups in the United States are calling on Congress to pass legislation that would require the US government to investigate the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces.
Over 60 organizations have sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to pass the bill, known as the Justice for Shireen Act. Abu Akleh, a US citizen, was fatally shot while covering an Israeli raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank last year.
The bill would require the FBI and State Department to publicly report on the details surrounding her killing. The call for justice has been echoed by Abu Akleh's family, who have met with the Biden administration and submitted a case to the International Criminal Court.
The US has a moral and legal obligation to ensure its military funding does not support actions that violate international humanitarian or human rights law, the letter states.
Abu Akleh's killing is part of a systemic pattern of human rights abuses against Palestinians and the free press by the Israeli military, it adds.