5 August 2010

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns the attack on Aljazeera Net correspondent Ahmad Fayyad by members of special police officers of the dismissed government in Gaza. MADA also deplores the confiscation of transmission device from Radio Mazaj FM by the employers of communication and Information technology ministry and Customs Brigade, in the city of Ramallah. The two accidents occurred yesterday 4 August 2010. 

Fayyad said to MADA that he went last night about 8:30 PM to cover the Festival of the Jordanian band "Tuyor Al Janeh" , and when he arrived there he noticed a resentment of the citizens due to overcrowding at the gate of
the event. He decided to portray the overcrowd. Meanwhile, a member of the special police shouted at him, and asked him to approach him, and asked him to see the photos. Then another policeman came and he was screaming
violently, he also requested another look at the pictures, so Fayyad gave him the camera. But the policeman began to beat him on his down neck and insulting him in obscene words in front of his three children who started
to cry. But the police continued to beat him. Fayyad added: "After that I went to Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis they told me that I had bruises and redness in the down of my neck and upper jaw, then I went to
the police chief office in Gaza, and when I told him what had happened, he apologized and promised to open an investigation into the incident and to account those responsible for it." 

For his part, the program manager of Radio Mazaj FM Ahmed Farraj said that around five employers of Customs Brigade and the Ministry of Information and Technology came yesterday to the headquarters of the radio and said
that they have a decision to confiscate the transmitter, but they weren’t have any written decision. Farraj added: "the head of Journalist’s Syndicate, assured me that he contacted the Minister and he assured him that he did not know about the decision and the ministry will return the transmitter to the radio, but until now they didn’t return the device. Then, a member of the Secretariat of the syndicate ensured me that the transmitter is located at Customs Brigade on the decision issued by the ministry to confiscate it.

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