Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
Monthly Report: Violations of Media Freedoms in the oPt
Summary – December 2010: 19 violations against Palestinian journalists.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) has monitored 19 violations against journalists in the occupied Palestinian territories in the past month, 16 of which were against journalists, with the remaining against their property. These incidents, committed by the Israeli occupation forces and the Palestinian security services in West Bank and Gaza Strip, are in clear violation of the right to freedom of expression under both Palestinian Basic Law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
“Every person shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and expression, and shall have the right to publish his opinion orally, in writing, or in any form of art, or through any other form of expression, provided that it does not contradict with the provisions of law" - Article 19, Palestinian Basic Law
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless frontiers" - Article 19, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Compared with the last two months, the violations against journalists were average in number for 2010, where MADA monitored 20 and 19 consecutive violations in October and November. Compared with figures from last year, incidents of media violations have more than doubled this winter, with a total of 7 reported violations in December of 2009.
