Remembering Daniel Pearl 21 Years Later
On February 1st, 2002 journalist Daniel Pearl became brutally murdered. Shocking an entire world.
Daniel Pearl was a highly respected journalist who worked for the Wall Street Journal.
Born in Princeton, New Jersey on October 10, 1963, he grew up in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Communication in 1985 and started his career in journalism at the North Adams Transcript in Massachusetts. He later worked for several newspapers, including The Berkshire Eagle in Massachusetts and The San Francisco Business Times, before joining The Wall Street Journal in 1990.
In 2002, Pearl was working as the South Asia Bureau Chief for The Wall Street Journal in Pakistan. On January 23, 2002, he went to a restaurant in Karachi to meet with a source who he believed had information on Richard Reid, the “shoe bomber” who attempted to detonate explosives on a transatlantic flight in December 2001. Unfortunately, the source was a trap, and Pearl was kidnapped by a militant group.
After a video was released of Pearl being beheaded, his captors eventually became captured and tried in court.
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British-born militant, was convicted of masterminding the kidnapping and murder of Pearl, and sentenced to death. Three other men were also convicted and sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in the case.
Daniel Pearl was widely mourned by his colleagues and the global community of journalists. His death was a devastating reminder of the risks journalists face while working in dangerous locations around the world. The Daniel Pearl Foundation was established in his memory to promote cross-cultural understanding and encourage responsible journalism.
Remembering Daniel Pearl 21 Years Later
