14 October 2010

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns the Israeli occupation forces arrest of Router Agency photographer Ma’moun Wazwaz, and Agency France Press photographer Hazim Badir. The accident took place yesterday morning 13 October 2010, in Beit Omar village (Hebron) in the West Bank.

Wazwaz told MADA that he went with his colleague Badir yesterday at 10:30 AM to prepare report about bulldozing land of Beit Omar, by the Israeli authorities, in order to expand "Karmi Tsur." Settlement, and when they started filming there, a group of Israeli soldiers arrested them under the pretext that they are filming in a closed military zone. They were released on 2:45 PM)".

MADA center condemns the continuous attacks and restrictions by Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian journalist’s, and calls the human rights and freedom of expression organizations to intervene to halt the attacks against them, which are considered violation of freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

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Contact:

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