Palestinian Center for Development & Media Freedoms (Mada)
Media freedoms violations in OPT during September 2008
This past September witnessed many violations of media freedoms in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), by Palestinian security services, which included: the arrest of Aqsa cameraman Osaid Amarneh, the re-arrest of freelance journalist Mustafa Sabri, and the arrest of A"mer Al-Farra, WAFA Agency office director in Khan Younis.
During September the Israeli occupation forces arrested Reuter"s cameraman Yusri Jamal and soundman Mamoun Wazwaz, detained WAFA Agency photographer Esam Rimawi, Agence France Press photographer Abbas Moumni, Reuter"s photographer Fadi Arouri, and AP photographer Mohammed Muheisen. In addition, a number of settlers attacked WAFA Agency photographer Yusef Qutub"s house.
Mada expresses concern over the procrastination of some security agencies in implementing the Supreme Court of Justice decisions for the release of journalists. The detouring of those decisions through the re-arrest of journalists raises serious questions about those agencies" commitment to the highest judicial body"s decisions.
Mada also expresses concern over the prevention of media outlets from covering certain events in Gaza city, such as Al- Sabrah and Al-Shoujeyah events, in addition to the Islamic Teachers Union sit in, and considers that policy rude violation of the freedom of the press and the right of public to know, through impartial and objective media coverage.
Mada condemns the continuing violations of freedom of opinion and expression by the occupation forces, and considers the settlers" attack of WAFA Agency photographer Yusef Qutub"s home very dangerous. It subjected his life and the lives of his family to serious danger.
Mada condemns all attacks on journalists and media outlets.
Mada:
- Demands the release of all journalists detained in Israel and the Palestinian National Authority prisons.
- Demands persecution of those responsible for attacks on journalists and media outlets, and bringing them to justice.

Violations details
(Sept. 6)- A"mer Al-Farra, Palestinian News and Information Agency (WAFA) office director in Khan Younis (Gaza Strip) was arrested from his home by Palestinian police. Farra said that police detectives came to his home at about 12am and tried to arrest him on the pretense of the existence of a notification against him, but he told them it is untruthful. He tried to call one of his friends by phone, but they prevented him, so he tried to contact through his mobile phone, but they prevented him again and confiscated his mobile. They called another police unit that came to his house and arrested him and forced him to the police station. There he found that there wasn"t a Prosecutors order of arrest, and after the intervention of a number of friends, he was released an hour later, and his mobile was returned to him. He believed this is a new way to arrest journalists on the pretense of the existence of notification against them.
(Sept. 11)- Reuters cameraman Yusri Jamal and soundman Mamoun Wazwaz were arrested by the Israeli occupation forces. Jamal said they were preparing a report on the settlers to prevent land owners from entering their land adjacent to the settlement of Karmei Tzur, north of Hebron city. When they conducted an interview with two of them (Sa"eed Mdeyeh and Issa Kulaibo) the settlement security officer came and asked “what you are you doing?" They replied: “As you see". Then he left. It seems he called the troopers, who came to the scene but left them to complete interviews. When they finished it, they confiscated the camera and told them that they were not allowed in the area which is a closed military zone, but they did not show anything to confirm that. Then after they showed their identification cards and Reuters press card, the soldiers told them they were under arrest, and transferred them to Etzion police station. They were released unharmed after five hours.
(Sept. 11) - Freelance journalist Mustafa Sabri was re-arrested by the Palestinian intelligence service in Qalqilya city a few minutes after his release. Sabri was arrested by the same service on July 31, and was handed over to the military police on August 13. He was released on September 11, following a decision by the Supreme Court of Justice. Sabri said that a few minutes after his release a white Subaru car stopped beside him and its passengers showed him the official card as members of the intelligence service, and asked him to get into the car. They toured in the car for about a quarter of an hour, then went back to prison. “In the night, they handed me over a release order. After official procedures they asked me to ride in their car with them, and after wandering about fifteen minutes in the city they returned me to the prison according to new procedures, so I began a hunger strike". He was released on September 14.
(Sept.18)- WAFA Agency photographer Esam Rimawi, Agence France Press photographer Abbas Moumni, Reuter"s photographer Fadi Arouri, and AP photographer Mohammed Muheisen were detained by the Israeli occupation forces. Arouri said that the soldiers detained them for an hour and a half, while they were filming settler"s evacuation from old army camp near the settlement of Dolep western of Ramallah city. The soldiers tried to confiscate their cameras, but they are satisfied with the confiscation of the cameras" film and then returned it back to them.
(Sept. 18)- A large group of settlers attacked WAFA Agency photographer Yusef Qutub"s home in Almzra"h north of Ramallah city. Qotub said that about twenty settlers attacked his home at noon and tried to break in it, then they threw petrol bombs and stones towards it, and smashed its windows. In addition they vandalized his car, smashed it widows and punctured its tires.
(Sept. 21)- Aqsa TV cameraman Osaid Amarneh was arrested after being summoned by the Palestinian intelligence service in Bethlehem city. He was released on bail on the morning of the Eid (Sept. 30), on the condition to return back to prison on October 4. Amarneh said that he was questioned in the first day about his work with the Hiwar and Tiour Aljanah channels. Then they released him, but in the courtyard of the building, a group of intelligence officers forcing him into a car and headed home, where they searched it and confiscated his computer and printer, and asked him where to find his camera, but he refused to say. Then they returned him back to prison, where they questioned him about the whereabouts of his camera. He refused to tell them, and mentioned that his first camera is still being held by them. They told him he will be detained until he told them where it is. Amarneh added that he was held in the first three days in a cell measuring 4 square meters with four other detainees, which led to his health deteriorating, before he was transferred to another cell better than the first one.