Cartoonists Mark The Anniversary Of The Charlie Hebdo Shootings

Thursday marks the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Paris office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, where two masked gunmen affiliated with al Qaeda killed 12 people.

The murders were considered a terror attack on press freedom and spurred social media users around the world to use the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie in solidarity with the cartoonists and staff who were killed.

Charlie Hebdo, which issued its own anniversary issue this week, had long been the source of controversy for its cartoons satirizing political and religious figures. Before the mass shooting, the magazine had been subject to threats and a firebombing in 2011.

One year after the attack, artists around the world drew cartoons to remember the victims of the tragedy. Many shared messages of hope saying that the journalist's pen is mightier than the assassin's rifle.

Take a look at some of the cartoons below:

"I am Charlie. Always," the text reads.

Charlie Hebdo's own anniversary edition, published Monday, features a cover that reads, "One year later, the assassin is still out there."