Ramallah- (28/08/2016)- The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” issued its semi- annual report for the year of 2016 on violations against media freedoms in Palestine.

 

Mousa Rimawi general director of the center stated that “total number of violations (Israeli and Palestinian) monitored against media freedoms declined from 224 violations in the first half of 2015, to 198 violations in the first half of 2016 a rate of 12%”.

 

Rimawi also illustrated that “the main cause of decline in total number of violations recorded during the first half of 2016, backs to the significant decline of Palestinian violations 41%, on the contrary of Israeli violations that are still occurring on a fast pace escalated 17%”.

He also added that Israeli violations have topped to 133 violations whilst Palestinian violations monitored both (in West Bank and Gaza Strip) topped to 65 violations, as 43 in West Bank and 22 in Gaza Strip, noting that the above mentioned rates doesn’t imply that media freedoms situation in Gaza Strip is better than the West Bank.

 

Rimawi added, “throughout the past years, and since the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” started monitoring and documenting violations against media freedoms; more than a decade, Israeli violations are considered as the most grave and dangerous against media freedoms,  even in terms of numbers Israeli violations are still recording the highest rate, nevertheless,  during the first half of the year 2016 Israeli violations escalated according to what was recorded in most of the past few years (topped to 67% of total violations monitored and documented, compared to 33% committed by Palestinian apparatuses)”.

 

Rimawi also emphasized, although most Palestinian violations are considered “less serious” yet this doesn’t by any mean justify or reduce the severity of its near and far impacts on media freedoms, especially since some of these practices and methods of oppression and prosecutions are being practiced systematically to spread fear among journalists and to silent them, and pushing them to avoid addressing several topics, and to exorcize more self-censorship as a direct result of these violations.

 

Ghazi Beni Odeh head of monitoring and documentation unit at the center clarified that “Israeli occupation committed 15 different types of violations but mainly focused on five major types: (physical attacks, arrests, confiscation of equipment and prevention of coverage and detention) 78% of the total Israeli violations that have been monitored during the first six months of 2016, emphasizing that the gravest violations was the execution of media student at Al-Quds University Iyad Omar Sajjdieh”.

 

He also added that “on the ladder of risk, following the murder of a media student Iyad Omar Sajdieh, journalists were exposed to 33 physical injuries including (bullets, stun grenades, tear gas bombs, or through beating) rather than the closure of two media institutions offices, after the destructing and confiscating of its contents, in addition to the arrest and detention of 23 journalists and media workers, during the past six months covered in this report”.

The report also highlighted the significant expansion of the occupation authorities prosecuting journalists and media outlets and Palestinian citizens in general under the pretext of exercising “incitement” against the occupation, due to what they post or publish through their pages on social media, rather than the Israeli attempts to drafting a law on Facebook, that binds all social media to monitor and eliminate any publication that contains any “provocation or incitement” against Israeli, that was recently prepared and conducted by the Israeli Knesset member Rvital Swed”.

 

According to violations committed by different Palestinian apparatuses across the west Bank and Gaza Strip during the first half of 2016 that topped to 65 violations, Rimawi general director of the center clarified that “ total number of violations dropped around 41% in comparison with what was monitored in the first half of 2015, mostly considered as less serious compared to Israeli violations”.

 

He also added “Palestinian violations recorded in the West Bank and Gaza Strip included 12 types, but mostly concentrated in 3 types (with interrogations by Palestinian Security Apparatuses, detention and arrest that recorded a rate of 66%amongst all Palestinian violations”.

 

MADA is gravely concerned regarding all systematic attacks and violence against journalists and media workers by the Israeli Occupation, It also urges state members to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists, to ensure accountability, bring to justice perpetrators of crimes against media freedoms, 

 

MADA highly appreciate the drop in the overall numbers of violations against media freedoms by different Palestinian apparatuses during the first half of 2016,  yet we still demand all Palestinian parties to abide by the Palestinian Basic law that guarantees freedom of opinion and expression / media freedom in Article 19, and put an end to all violations against media freedoms, perpetrators of attacks and violations against media freedoms to be held accountable .

 

Finally, MADA calls upon signatory member states of Geneva Conventions to promote a safe and enabling environment for Palestinian journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference that will bring development and democracy to the Palestinian people. 

Note: to read the full press release:

 

The full report: