Ramallah – 4th August 2022 The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms "MADA" condemns the occupation authorities’ targeting of journalists by arrests and travel bans during the past days, and believes this to be a new escalation of violations against media freedoms.
The occupation authorities arrested journalist NIDAL ABU IKER from his house, at dawn on Monday, as well as the freelance journalist FAISAL ALRIFAI, last July after he went to “Ofer” Prison for investigation purposes based on an official summons handed over to his family. Furthermore, the occupation authorities also arrested Quds Press Network reporter, journalist AMER ABU ARAFAH, who was transferred to four-month administrative detention on Monday.
They also continued, for the third year in a row, to prevent the reporter of TRT Arabi TV, MAJDOLEEN HASSOUNAH, from traveling to Turkey, where she works, and returned her from Karama Crossing. They also prevented the freelance journalist MUJAHED ALSAADI from traveling after he was detained for four hours and questioned.
The occupation crimes and the escalation of its violations against journalists and media freedoms would not have continued without the impunity it has been enjoying for decades.
