CPJ presses for answers in Abu Akleh killing

A Palestinian walks in front of a mural depicting slain Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Mussa Qawasma)

Two years after the May 11 Israeli military killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, no one has been held accountable for her death.

CPJ is now calling on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to release a timeline for the conclusion of its now 18-month investigation into the killing, on the International Criminal Court to investigate the case — as the Abu Akleh family and her employer, Al Jazeera, have requested — and on Israel to cooperate.

Last November, the U.S. Department of Justice notified Israel of the FBI investigation, and Israel said it would not cooperate with the probe. The FBI has not publicly released any findings nor has the investigation led to any statements of responsibility or arrests.

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‘Witch-hunt’ for Serbian journalists

A poster of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is seen during a rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of parliamentary elections in Belgrade on December 2. (Photo: Reuters/Marko Djurica)

Serbian journalists and press freedom advocates have pointed to a concerning deterioration in the media’s ability to report without fear of reprisal under the country’s populist president, Aleksandar Vučić, who scored a sweeping parliamentary victory last December.

Critical journalists feel targeted, sometimes in orchestrated campaigns by Vučić supporters, politicians, public officials, and pro-government media.

To better understand the precarious situation for the Serbian press, CPJ spoke with eight journalists and advocates, some of whom have left the country out of fear for their safety. Read CPJ’s briefing on press freedom in Serbia.

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Journalists Attacked

Myat Thu Tan

MURDERED

Myat Thu Tan, a contributor to the local news website Western News and correspondent for several independent Myanmar news outlets, was shot and killed on January 31, 2024, while in military custody in Mrauk-U in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State.

He was arrested on September 22, 2022, and held in pre-trial detention under a broad provision of the penal code that criminalizes incitement and the dissemination of false news for critical posts he made on his Facebook page. Myat Thu Tan had not been tried or convicted at the time of his death.

The journalist’s body was found buried in a bomb shelter, with the bodies of six other political detainees, and showed signs of torture.

Myanmar’s military junta has cracked down on journalists and media outlets since seizing power in a February 2021 coup.

Learn more about Myat Thu Tan