The occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) witnessed a number of media freedom violations during the month of March. The Palestinian violations included putting a bomb in front of Al-Jazeera TV’s office in Gaza, firing at “Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah" Newspaper’s headquarters in Al-Berieh city, persecuting “Felesteen" newspaper columnist Isam Shawar as well as Sakher Abu Oun, head of AFP office in Gaza.
Violations committed by the Israeli occupation forces included the injuring of Maan News Agency photographer Khalil Rayash, and Reuters cameraman Bashar Nazzal, the detention of the Quds Net correspondent Mohammad Mahareeq, and attacking Reuters photographer Nayef Hashlamon.
The Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses denunciation of all violations against media outlets and journalists, and considers them gross violations of freedom of expression.
MADA is expressing concern over the continuation of Israeli attacks against journalists and the continued house arrest imposed on Al-Alam correspondent Khader Shaheen and producer Mohammad Sarhan, since their release on 15 January, after 10 days under arrest.
MADA is expressing concern about an explosive device left in front of Al-Jazeera’s office and gunshots fired at “Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah" newspaper headquarters for the fourth time in the last few months, which endangers the lives of media workers.
MADA considers the persecution of Isam Shawar by the intelligence service in Qalqilia city for 28 days, as well as the persecution of Abu Oun, the head of AFP’s office in Gaza Sahker by the internal security service in Gaza city, to be a severe violation of freedom of expression. In addition, the expropriation of Abu Oun’s passport and Shawar’s ID card limits their freedom of movement and travel, which is considered a clear breaching of Article 13 of the International Declaration of Human Rights.
MADA demands:
- The halting of journalists’ persecution and attacks, either by occupation forces or by Palestinian security services, in West Bank & Gaza Strip.
- The release of all arrested journalists.
- Journalists and media outlets to be allowed to work freely and safely.
Details of violations:
(March 2) - “Felesteen" newspaper columnist Dr. Issam Shawar was summoned by the Palestinian intelligence service in Qalqilia city. Shawar said that from 2 to 20 March he was detained daily for several hours from 10 a.m. until 5 or 7 p.m. in a building under construction. Then they released him and asked him to come back again the next day, at the same time without asking him anything. Since 20 to30 March, he was detained in a cell either individually or with another prisoner until 5 and sometimes to 7 or 9 p.m. On 30 March they gave him his ID card, but he was forced to sign an obligation “not to criticize the political line of the Palestinian authority and its figures".
(March 7) – An explosive device was put in front of Al-Jazeera TV’s office in Gaza city. Al-Jazeera correspondent Wael Dahdouh said that one of the office staff received a call from an unknown person at 9 p.m. saying “we want to bomb Al-Jazeera office – the ghosts of Samih Al-Madhoun“. After searching they found the explosive device in front of the office, and they called the police, who dismantled it. They also found a written paper saying “If you are thinking of a solution, the solution is to leave - Samih Al-Madhoun ghosts".
(March 19) - The Israeli occupation forces detained Quds Net correspondent Mohammad Ahmad Mahareeq (25 years), near Gilo checkpoint between Bethlehem and Ramallah city. He said that he was preparing a report about the Israeli checkpoints; where there were three checkpoints between Bethlehem and Gilo in that day .He was detained from 9.30 a.m. until 3.30 p.m. They questioning him about his work and the agency that he is working for. They informed him that checkpoints are a closed military area, and he cannot take pictures there. He told them that even according to the Israeli law they do not have the right to detain him, because he is doing his job as a journalist.
(March 19) - Sakher Medhat Abu Oun (44 years), AFP office head and the chief of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in Gaza, was summoned by the internal security service, which belongs to the Interior Ministry in the dismissed government. Abu Oun said that they questioned him for two hours in the first session about his speech in a media conference in Dubai, and about a training course for journalists in Cairo, also about the financial and material assistance provided by the International Federation of Journalists for a number of journalists and their families in Gaza Strip. In addition, they questioned him about the elections of the Journalists Syndicate, then they asked him to come back again after two days, when they confiscated his ID card and his passport.
(March 20) - Maan News Agency photographer Khalil Mohammad Rayash (31 years) and Reuters cameraman Bashar Mohammad Nazzal (29 years) were injured by Israeli occupation forces in Jayous village (Qalqilia). Rayash and Nazzal said that they were deliberately injured in their upper left leg with a rubber bullet by the Israeli occupation forces, while they were covering the weekly demonstration against the apartheid wall in Jayous village. They were treated in UNRWA hospital in Qalqelia, and then they filed a complaint to the Palestinian police against the Israeli forces.
(March 27) - The Israeli occupation forces attacked Reuters photographer Nayef Hashlamon in Al-Ma’sara village south of Bethlehem. Hashlamon said that one Israeli soldier’s foot was placed on his leg, and he fell down. Also the soldier aimed his gun towards some journalists (Agence France Press photographer Mousa Al-Sha’er and Reuters cameraman Mohammad Abu Ghaneya) and pushed them back, but an officer got him away, while they were covering the weekly demonstration against the apartheid wall in Al-Ma’sara.
(March 30) - “Al-Hayat Al-Jadedah" newspaper’s headquarters was fired upon by an unknown gunman in Al-Berieh city near Ramallah. Its managing editor Bashar Barmawi said that an unknown person fired at the newspaper headquarters at 12:45 a.m., hitting the building without hurting anyone. The policemen who are guarding the building day and night called the security forces, which came at once and started the investigation. Barmawi confirmed that the repeated firing on the building is endangering workers’ lives, and leads to permanent anxiety among them. This is the fourth time that the headquarters was fired upon within the last three months; two of them were in last February.
