UN calls for independent investigation into killing of Al Jazeera journalist

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The UN on Wednesday said it is “appalled” at the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank and called for “an independent investigation.”

In a Twitter post, Ravina Shamdasani of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said: “We are appalled at the killing of journalist #ShireenAbuAkleh while covering an Israeli military operation in Jenin, #Palestine.”

She said the UN Human Rights Office is on the ground verifying the facts.

Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid in the city of Jenin.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, another journalist, Ali Al-Samoudi, was shot in the back.

“We urge an independent, transparent investigation into her killing. Impunity must end,” said Shamdasani.

Earlier on Wednesday, Al Jazeera television accused Israeli forces of deliberately assassinating Abu Akleh “in cold blood.”

“We pledge to prosecute the perpetrators legally, no matter how hard they try to cover up their crime, and bring them to justice,” the Doha-based television network said.

Abu Akleh was born in Jerusalem in 1971 and earned a BA in journalism and media from Yarmouk University in Jordan. She also held US citizenship.