The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses
its concern over the military court in Nablus city (West Bank) decision of
imprisonment of Aqsa TV former correspondent Tarek Abu Zeid for a year and
a half

.
 
His father Abdul Razik Abu Zeid said that he was supposed to visit his son
in jail last Saturday (13 February), but they prevented him. He also added:
“My son has been arrested on 8 November 2009 because he was working with
Aqsa TV, then the Supreme Court of Justice issued a decision to release him
on 12 January 2010, but no one has responded to the court’s decision,
although we have sent the court’s decision in an official letter to the
General Attorney and the Prime Minister".

Abu Zeid lawyer Bassam Karajeh said that the military court decision was
illegal for two reasons: first, because Abu Zeid is a civilian, and
according to the Palestinian law it isn’t permissible for the military
court to trail any civilian person whatever his indictment is, the second
one the Supreme Court of Justice had issued a decision to release him, so
his arrest was unlawful. Karajeh added: there have not been any indictment
against Abu Zeid and the talk about his involvement in money and
information transfer is not true, and if it was true, that is the civil
court competence.

It is worthy of mentioning that Dr. Salam Fayyad government had banned Aqsa
TV work in the West Bank on 16 September 2007

MADA demands the concerned authorities to retract from the decision to
imprison Abu Zeid for a year and a half, and to release him and the other
arrested journalist immediately, and to respect the freedom of expression
in the occupied Palestinian territories.