Ramallah – 21 December 2025 The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) held its second hearing session entitled “Journalists’ Arrests: Testimonies and Recommendations” on Sunday, 14 December 2025, at its headquarters in Ramallah, with journalist SAMI AL-SA'I. The session was organized within the framework of the Engage Project, implemented by the Palestinian Women’s Association in partnership with An-Najah National University and funded by the European Union, with MADA participating as a third partner.
The session brought together journalists of both genders, representatives of media institutions, and civil society organizations, alongside MADA’s legal advisor, Attorney FIRAS KARAJAH. It was dedicated to hearing the testimony of journalist SAMI AL-SA'I, who spent sixteen months in administrative detention under the Israeli occupation authorities before being released in June 2025.
The hearing commenced with opening remarks delivered by MS. SHIREEN AL-KHATIB, Acting Director of MADA, who underscored that organizing a series of such hearings comes at a time of unprecedented regression in media freedoms since the onset of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip. She highlighted that this period has witnessed the killing of hundreds of journalists in Gaza, coupled with a sharp escalation in arrests and violations targeting journalists in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, in addition to violations committed by various Palestinian actors. These practices, she noted, have gravely undermined the safety of journalists and the public’s right to access information.
During his testimony, journalist SAMI AL-SA'I shed light on the harsh and degrading conditions endured by detainees in general, and journalists in particular, within Israeli prisons. He described detention as a prolonged ordeal of psychological and physical suffering, extending from the moment of arrest until release. AL-SA'I further explained that conditions inside prisons have significantly deteriorated in recent years, particularly following the appointment of far-right figure Itamar Ben-Gvir as Israel’s Minister of National Security.
AL-SA'I detailed a range of serious human rights violations faced by detainees, including physical and psychological abuse, ill-treatment, and deliberate medical neglect, as well as inhumane detention conditions and the spread of disease due to the absence of adequate healthcare services, circumstances that pose a real and ongoing threat to prisoners’ lives.
Among the gravest violations recounted by AL-SA'I was his exposure to sexual assault under coercive and degrading circumstances, accompanied by humiliation, mockery, and threats. He also noted that acts of violence and abuse appeared to subside in areas monitored by surveillance cameras, revealing a calculated and systematic pattern of abuse.
Attorney FIRAS KARAJAH emphasized that the purpose of presenting such testimonies extends beyond documenting individual cases. Rather, it aims to protect other journalists and young people who may be subjected to similar violations. He stressed the responsibility of civil society organizations, human rights institutions, and professional unions to adopt these cases, internationalize them, and pursue accountability for the occupation authorities.
At the conclusion of the session, journalist SAMI AL-SA'I presented a set of key recommendations, including:
- Breaking the silence and speaking openly about violations against prisoners, particularly journalists, as direct witnesses to these abuses.
- Encouraging prisoners’ families to continuously highlight the conditions of detainees and to advocate for their cases at international forums.
- Calling on Palestinian official bodies to assume their responsibilities toward imprisoned journalists during detention and after release, including safeguarding their financial and social rights.
