Al Jazeera journalists hold vigils to commemorate 100 days since journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's killing

Al Jazeera journalists hold vigils to commemorate 100 days since journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's killing
Al Jazeera's staff members held vigils on Thursday across offices around the world, to mark 100 days since the killing of iconic journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
2 min read
19 August, 2022
Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on 11 May while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin [Getty]

Al Jazeera Media Network has marked 100 days since the killing of its veteran journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, by Israeli forces.

The international media network’s staff held vigils on Thursday across offices around the world – including at its main headquarters in Doha.

They demanded justice for Abu Akleh, a journalist who held both American and Palestinian nationality and became a household name across the Arab world after appearing on Al-Jazeera’s Arabic-language channel for 25 years.

Abu Akleh was wearing a vest and helmet marked "Press" but was shot dead on 11 May while covering a military operation in a refugee camp in Jenin in the northern West Bank.

Investigations by the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations, as well as several journalistic probes, found that the shot that killed the Al-Jazeera journalist was fired by Israeli forces. The United States also said this was likely.

"100 days ago, journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli occupation forces. Despite numerous investigations, no one has been held to account," Al Jazeera English wrote in a post shared on Twitter.

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"Al-Jazeera demands justice for Shireen and accountability for her killers… today, the world pays tribute to her memory," the news channel added.

Mohamed Krichen, an Arabic news anchor for the network, said the commemoration ceremonies showed that Al-Jazeera would not forget the journalist’s killing, which he described as a “crime”.

"We know who did it and … we want justice," Krichen said.

Al-Jazeera has described her death as a "blatant murder" that violates "international laws and norms" and said that she was "assassinated in cold blood".

The late journalist is considered a pioneer of journalism in the Arab world. She became prominent during the Second Palestinian Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005, covering major events and Israeli incursions into Palestinian towns.

Several journalists in the Arab world - and beyond- have hailed Abu Akleh as a role model and a trailblazer of the profession.