Mada calls for prohibiting journalist"s arrest
A month full of arrests among journalists
Although the world celebrated World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2008, the Palestinian territories witnessed an escalation in media freedoms violations especially the arrest of journalists, by the Palestinian security services, and Israeli occupation forces. This despite the regional campaign launched by the members of the International Federation of Journalists in the Arab world and Iran for freedom of the press and the abolition of imprisonment as a means to terrorize journalists and silence the independent media.
Campaigns have included the arrests of journalists: Mustafa Sabri, Mohammed Athbeh, Dr. Isam Shawar and Osaid Amarneh by the Palestinian security apparatus in the West Bank; Sameer Khalifa Ahmed Alras by police in the Gaza Strip; and Ashraf Khafarneh and Hassan Al-Rajoub by Israeli occupation forces.
The Israeli occupation forces also wounded journalists Hazem Blaidi and Jaa"far Ishteyeh, and raided journalist Nayef Hashlamoun"s house. The Israeli military court in Ofer detention camp near Ramallah extended the administrative detention of the journalist Waleed Khaled, and continued his isolation in the Ramleh prison and prevented his relatives from visiting him.
The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (Mada) welcomes the initiative of Mr. Nimer Hammad, general supervisor of the official Palestinian media and Aqsa media network which belong to Hamas movement, to stop media campaigns exchanged in the Palestinian arena.
Mada underlines the necessity for commitment to it by all Palestinian media outlets, which should play a positive and constructive role, in paving the way for the success of President Mahmoud Abbas initiative for national dialogue, which we highly appreciate).
Mada also welcomes the release of journalist Musa"ab Qatalouni on May 20 after 77 days of arrest, and columnist Dr. Isam Shawar after eleven days of arrest, from the prisons of the Palestinian National Authority, and welcomes the decision by the Ministry of Information in the dismissed government to drop the case against “Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah" editor-in-chief Hafez Barghouthi.
Mada demands:
• Prohibiting the arrest of journalists.
• The release of journalists detained in Israeli and Palestinian prisons.
• Respect of freedom of opinion and expression.
• Enabling all media outlets, which were prevented from working in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since last mid-June, to do their professional job freely and safely.
• Prosecution of the assailants on journalists and bringing them to trial.
• Lifting the unjust siege on the Gaza Strip which has had serious impact on media freedoms, and on the lives of nearly a million and half citizens.
Details of violations:
(May – Freelance journalist Mustafa Ali Sabri was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence service in Qalqilya city. Sabri said he was arrested from an area near Qalqilya, where they contacted him and asked about his whereabouts. At the headquarters they told him that he is detained until further notice, and he then went on a hunger strike until further notice. He was presented to doctors on May 10, where they asked him to eat because his blood pressure is high, but he refused, so they released him without any charge. But they asked him to come back every two days, and each time he was detained for a period of between two and four hours, without being investigated or asked anything. Sabri was arrested on February 7 for five days by the Palestinian intelligence service.
(May - Associated Press photographer Mohammed Omar Athbeh was arrested from his studio Farah in Qalqilya city by the Palestinian intelligence service.
(May – Columnist in “Felesteen" newspaper Dr. Isam Mohammed Shawar was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence service in Qalqilya city. Shawar said they didn"t investigate him in the first four days of his arrest, then he announced his intention of hunger strike. So they began to investigate him about his articles published in “Felesteen" newspaper, and republished in some Arabic newspapers, arguing that it defamed the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). They found that it is not abuse of the PNA, but he criticized corruption in general. He was released after 11 days, after signing a document not to attack or examine the PNA and its leaders. “Felesteen" newspaper, which is published in Gaza City, was banned from printing and distribution in the West Bank since June 14.
(May 13) Administrative detention of Walid Khaled, the “Felesteen" newspaper office director in the West Bank, was extended for six months by the Ofer Israeli military court. Khaled was arrested on May 18, 2007, and was transferred to administrative detention on June 7. He was transferred to the isolation section in Ramleh prison on August 30, where he still suffers in isolation. His mother said that his family was banned from his visiting him, although she and his wife had permission to visit him at the beginning of this year, but the responsible authorities in Ramleh prison, prevented them from visiting in January and February, she pointed out that Communication takes place between them through letters, which usually they received after three months via Israeli post.
(May 10) – Agence France Press Agency photographer Jaa"far Ishteyeh and Bal Media Agency Cameraman Hazem Belaidi were injured by Israeli occupation forces during their coverage of the march organized by Combatants for Peace to remove the soil barriers that the occupation forces had put at the entrances of Shufah village (Tulkarem-West Bank). Ishteyeh said soldiers ordered journalists to leave the area within three minutes, but barely had three minutes past when they began shooting towards the journalists, which led to his injury by rubber bullets in the left thigh and his left hand. Then he fell on a pile stones, which led to bruises in his ribs. Belaidi said he was shot by rubber bullets in his left hand and a bullet hit his camera, which broke it. Both were transferred to Thabet Thabet Hospital in Tulkarem for treatment. On the same day, eleven participants in the march were injured by occupation forces.
(May 14) - Editor of the Arab Centre for Information and the Voice of Hebron website Hassan Awad Rajoub was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces from his father"s house in Al-Kom village (Hebron-West Bank) at about one o"clock, where they searched the house before his arrest. One of his colleagues in the Arab Centre said Rajoub was transferred to Ofer detention camp, where he was investigated about his relationship with Islamic student bloc during his studies at Bir Zeit University.
(May 15) - Aqsa TV cameraman Osaid Abdel Majeed Amarneh was arrested by the Palestinian intelligence service in Bethlehem city at around one p.m., while he was filming one of the sixtieth anniversary of the Nakba Day activities. Amarneh said that the investigation focused on his relationship with Aqsa TV (which is prohibited from work in the West Bank), and how he sends his reports to Aqsa TV. He assured them that he worked legally, and referred to the decision of the Magistrates Court and the decision of the Preventive Security Service in Hebron, which allows him to operate. They watched the footage captured by him about events on the anniversary of Nakba, and released him just before midnight. But they refused to return his camera which they confiscated during his detention, and asked him to come back on Wednesday. When he came that day, they asked him to return the next day, but again they told him to come back next week. Amarneh was arrested with his colleague A"laa Titi on November 7, 2007, but was acquitted of the charges leveled against him by decision of the Magistrate"s Court in the city of Hebron on April 24.
(May 24) - Sudan television correspondent in Gaza Sameer Khalifa and Ramattan Agency Cameraman Ahmed Alras were arrested by the police in Gaza City, during the preparation of a report on the use of taxi drivers of Serge oil instead of fuel for their vehicles running in the yard of Palestine. Khalifa said the police forced them to climb into the police car but he refused. He then agreed a police officer could ride with him in his car while Alrass was forced to ride in the police car, where they were transferred to a police station in Al-Shoja"eya neighborhood. The police watched the report, Khalifa was investigated about police suspicions of the possibility Khalifa had returned to work with Palestine Public Television, where he was a reporter until he was banned from working there. The Interior Ministry in the dismissed government had asked him and his colleague Adel Zaa"noun to stop sending any news to Palestine Television on March 4. They were released after two hours. It is noteworthy that the Palestine Television is banned from working in the Gaza Strip since last mid-June.
(May 27) – The home of Reuter"s photographer in Hebron city, Nayef Hashlamoun, was raided by Israeli occupation forces. Hashlamoun said that the occupation forces surrounded the house about three o"clock a.m., the soldiers began to scream and ring the house bell, and when he opened the door a group of them came to the house and asked for his identity card. He gave it with his press card, then they asked for his son, Firas" card, which they received and then said Firas must come tomorrow for investigation by intelligence officers at nine o"clock. When they went on schedule they had to wait until twelve o"clock, and the investigation lasted 15 minutes, as the questions centered on personal information. It is worth mentioning that he and his son had in advance applied for a permit to enter Jerusalem three days previously for an interview at the US consulate, regarding their request for a visa to travel to the US, but the Israeli authorities refused to grant them permission, resulting in cancelling their travel, which was especially difficult since his son was accepted to study media production in the US.
(May 29) - Ramattan Agency cameraman Ashraf Kafarneh was arrested by Israeli occupation forces from his home in Beit Hanoun city (Gaza Strip) at about two o"clock a.m. Kafarneh said that the occupation forces raided his house and the soldiers searched the house and wreaked havoc, and then took him to a nearby house where other men detained him. At five o"clock they forced them to walk about three Km to an area near Sederot city. After that they were transferred by military bus with cuffed hands and eyes blindfolded to an area called Zekeem, where they were interrogated separately for about half an hour. He was released with others at about six p.m. and transferred to Beit Hanoun (Erez) crossing.
