AHRC Welcomes The FBI Probe Into The Killing Of Palestinian-American Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

By American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA)

The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) joins the human rights community and all peace- loving people in welcoming the Biden administration’s decision to launch an FBI investigative probe regarding the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian American and a senior Al Jazeera reporter.

All related circumstances and facts indicate that Abu Akleh was killed deliberately,and her killing was not an accident as the Israeli army claimed. It is important to remember that the Israeli killing of Abu Akleh was not the first Israeli killing of a Palestinian journalist. The Committee to Protect Journalists puts the number at 25 journalists killed since 1992. This is unacceptable. Abu Akleh's citizenship garnered this killing media attention while the others were largely forgotten.

AHRC hopes that FBI probe will proceed to its fullest and be transparent, thorough, objective and free of any political pressure. AHRC commends all human rights organizations, including Jewish human rights in Israel that welcomed this investigation for the sake of justice. Human rights are human rights regardless of the identity of the victim or the perpetrator of the violations.

“While we welcome this news, we are cautiously optimistic,” said Imad Hamad, AHRC Executive Director. “We are afraid that, just like with anything Palestinian and Israeli, the US administration will sacrifice international law and the human rights of the Palestinians on the altar of political expediency,” added Hamad