15 June 2010 

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns the detention of Quds TV correspondent Mus’ab Alkhatib “Alkhseeb" and Pal Media cameraman Hazim Al-Baledi, by the Palestinian Preventive Security Services. The accident took place yesterday 14 June 2010, in the city of Tulkarem in West Bank. 

Alkhatib said that he went with Al-Baledi to interview the Palestinian Legislative Council member from Hamas bloc Fathi Qraawi about Palestinian reconciliation between Fateh and Hamas, and when they left his office, members belonging to the “PSS" forced them to go to their headquarters in Tulkarem. Alkhatib added: "When we went there, they interrogated us about the content of the interview, and they unloaded the entire interview, and examined all the papers that we had, and then they released us."

MADA’s legal unit lawyer Sana’ Aranki said that the journalist’s detention and review the press material without a warrant is a clear violation of Palestinian Amended law, where the Article 11 paragraph 2 in Public rights and liberates title mention: “It is unlawful to arrest, search, imprison, restrict the freedom, or prevent the movement of any person, except by judicial order in accordance with the provisions of the law….". 

It’s worthy mentioning that Alkhatib was detained by the security forces on 9 March 2010, when he was interviewing the journalist Mustafa Sabri about the Palestinian Syndicate election in the city of Qalqilia. 

On another hand, MADA denounce the French broadcasting council decision to stop Aqsa TV broadcasting, where the administration of “Nour Sat" - which Aqsa TV broadcasts through it- told them that they will stop their broadcasting after 48 hours from the date of decision. MADA also demands the French broadcasting council to retreat its decision, which is a violation of freedoms of expression. 

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Contact: 
-	Riham Abu Aita
Public Relation Officer
Ramallah
riham@madacenter.org
www.madacenter.org
-	00970 2 2976519