12 November 2010

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns the detention of four photographers: Reuter’s photographers Bassam Massoud, Ahmed Zakut, and Ibrahim Abu Mustafa, and Al Arabiya TV cameraman Mohammed Aljehjouh. The accident took place yesterday 11 November 2010, by the internal security forces of the dismissed government in the Gaza Strip.

MADA also condemns threats via telephone to the correspondent of Milad news agency and the Palestinian Network for media Nasr Abu Alfoul, from someone who claimed that he is from the internal security in Gaza. And the investigation with the correspondent of “Alhaqeqa Aldawliyeh" newspaper by the intelligence service in Qalqilya city in the West bank.

The photographer Bassam Massoud said to MADA center that he went yesterday morning, accompanied by his colleagues to the office of Fatah lawmaker Ashraf Jomaa in Rafah, to cover the film show about Fatah leader Abu Jihad’s life, in the sixth anniversary of the death of President Yasser Arafat. About 10:00 am. A group of Internal Security Forces raided Jomaa’s Office, cut off the electricity, and detained all the people who were in the office including journalists. After that, they told the journalists to give them the tapes if they want to be released, but they refused that, so they took the journalists to the internal security headquarters in the region of Tal Al-Sultan. Massoud added: "they have confiscated the cameras and tapes and threatened us to break all the cameras, and also attacked us verbally, after about an hour they released us".

Abu Alfoul told the Legal Unit Consultant of MADA center in Gaza Karem Nashwan that he had received three telephone calls during this week from an unknown person who claimed that he is from the internal security service in Gaza.  In the first two calls the caller request the journalist to stop working in media and writing articles. In the third call, the caller said to Abu Alfoul that he must stop his journalistic work and writing articles. He told him also “the internal security can harm and follow you wherever you are."

On the other hand the Palestinian intelligence service in the city of Qalqilya in the West Bank summoned the correspondent of “Alhaqeqa Aldawliyeh" newspaper Qais Abu Samra. On last Tuesday 9 November 2010.  Abu Samra was interrogated about the nature of his journalistic work and how he collects the news. The journalist was also summoned last week 4 November 2010 by the intelligence service where he was interrogated about his journalistic work for two hours (9:30 - 11:30 am).

MADA center condemns all violations against Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and demands the concerned authorities to halt the prosecution and harassment of journalists, and to respect the freedom of opinion and expression.

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Contact:

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