4 August 2010

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) welcomes the Minister of communication and Information technology Mashhur Abu Dika
decision to form an investigation committee in the raid of some TV & radio stations, and the attack on Nablus TV media workers, by the Ministry and
Customs Brigade employers.  MADA also condemns the arrest of Alnajah press office director and Alnajah University lecturer Dr. Farid Abu Duhair, on Monday 2 August 2010; By Palestinian Intelligence services members in Nablus city.

The Director of the Nablus TV Mahmoud Barham said that the director of the Communications Section at the Ministry in Nablus, the Director of Customs Brigade and his assistant, came yesterday to the television headquarters, demanding them to close it and stop the broadcast, without a formal decision to do so, and when they refused that, they summoned a police support. They have also attacked media workers on the television because they filmed the raid; they also confiscated cameras and deleted the images from them. Barham added: "According to Palestinian law, the ministry must have resort to the justice in incase of any violations by television
stations, saying that Nablus TV during the last period has corrected 99% of its legal conditions."

Its worthy to mention that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has issued notices to nineteen radio stations and televisions on (25 July 2010), asking them to stop broadcasting and to correct their positions during one month or they will be closed permanently. The number of private television stations in the West Bank is 25, while the number of radio stations is 65. 

On other hand, Dr. Abu Duhair wife said that an armed individuals in civilian clothes belonging to the Palestinian intelligence service came to their home in the city of Nablus, about 11:00 PM on Monday, 2 August 2010, and asked her husband to accompany them to the intelligence headquarters in Nablus, when he asked about the reason, the answer was because the intelligence director wants to meet him for an hour. But she doesn’t know anything about him until now (4/8- 11:00 am). 

MADA center condemns all violations against media institutions and journalists in the occupied Palestinian territories, which are a flagrant violation of freedom of expression; MADA also demands the relevant authorities to halt it, and to release Abu Duhair.
------------------------
Contact: 
Riham Abu Aita
Public Relation Officer
Ramallah
riham@madacenter.org
00970 2 2976519