Ramallah - 4/5/2014: Today the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) organized a sit-in in Ramallah, Al Manara Square, to celebrate the World Press Freedom Day. The event was held to call for accountability for the 22 Palestinian journalists killed since 2000.
The general director of MADA, Mr. Mousa Rimawi, declared that this day was the occasion to commemorate media workers killed by the Israeli occupation forces in Palestine while performing their professional duty, adding that the fact that the perpetrators of these crimes were not held accountable contributed to the continuous violation of journalists’ rights.
This year witnessed a rise in violations against journalists, while last year saw the largest number of Israeli violations since 2008 in the West Bank, with 151 cases. MADA calls the international community to show solidarity with Palestinian journalists and exert real pressure on the Israeli Occupation Authorities so that they end their violations of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
MADA also organized yesterday an event in Gaza city during which it honored the media workers who were killed in the last Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, as well the journalists who were seriously injured. In his speech, MADA’s coordinator in Gaza Dr. Ahmad Hammad called for a quick end to the Palestinian division and to the return of general freedoms for the Palestinian society, away from defamation. He also called for allowing newspapers to be distributed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip easily and without obstacles.
The EU Representative in Gaza, Mr. Ahmad Fteiha, gave a speech in which he emphasized the important role that media play in enhancing democracy, freedom of opinion and expression and human rights, as well as in stimulating development all over the world, including Palestine.
The Chairman of the Palestinian NGOs network in the Gaza Strip, Mr. Mohsen Abu Ramadan, also took to the floor, praising the role that MADA plays in defending journalists through its reports exposing the violations against journalists in Palestine. Many journalists, authors, politicians and representatives of civil society organizations participated in the event, which was supported by the European Union.
MADA center also took the occasion of the celebrations of the World Press Freedom Day to launch its campaign entitled “Towards Reform of Media laws in Palestine”, which includes different activities that will be held in May and the formulation, in cooperation with different partners, of an advanced media law draft meant to help Palestinian journalists achieve their ambitions.
Mr. Rimawi hopes that 2014 will be a better year for freedoms, including freedom of expression. He declared that that there is an opportunity for a substantial change in media freedoms in Palestine in 2014 due to two important changes: On the one hand, the serious steps taken for achieving Palestinian reconciliation after almost seven years of division, which negatively affected journalists’ ability to express themselves with a large number of violations on journalists and media agencies; On the second hand the signature by President Mahmoud Abbas of 15 international treaties which commit the signatory countries to respect human rights, including freedom of opinion and expression.
MADA also emphasized its determination in defending journalists and their rights to complete their duties and move freely, as well as the importance of pursuing efforts to enhance freedom of expression. In addition to stressing the importance of holding the aggressors who violate journalists’ rights accountable, MADA called for ending all the negative effects of the Palestinian division on media freedom and immediately allow newspapers to print and publish freely in both sides of Palestine.
MADA congratulates all journalists in Palestine and all over the world for their essential and courageous work.
