Dozens of American lawmakers call for FBI probe into Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's death
"Given the tenuous situation in the region and the conflicting reports surrounding the death of Ms. Abu Akleh, we request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh's death," 57 House members wrote in a letter.
- World
- AFP
- Published Date: 11:36 | 20 May 2022
- Modified Date: 11:45 | 20 May 2022
More than 50 US lawmakers on Friday called on the FBI to investigate the killing in the West Bank of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, despite Israeli promises of a probe.
The 57 House members, largely left-leaning Democrats and led by Representative Andre Carson, noted that Abu Akleh held US citizenship and pointed to divergent accounts on how she died on May 11.
"Given the tenuous situation in the region and the conflicting reports surrounding the death of Ms. Abu Akleh, we request the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launch an investigation into Ms. Abu Akleh's death," they wrote in a letter.
"As an American, Ms. Abu Akleh was entitled to the full protections afforded to US citizens living abroad," they wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Al Jazeera and Palestinians say Israeli forces killed Abu Akleh, a prominent journalist, as she covered an Israeli army raid in Jenin, in the north of the occupied West Bank.
The State Department has said that it believes Israel can conduct a credible investigation but Blinken has also criticized the Israeli police for its use of force during Abu Akleh's funeral.
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