Mada center expresses its strong condemnation of, Abu Dhabi channel office director in Gaza strip Abed el-Salam Abo Askar abduction, by armed Palestinian group, for about two hours, yesterday evening in Gaza City, and demand Palestinian government to investigate the validity of information about the kidnappers belong to the executive force,  and to prosecute those responsible for this crime and bring them to justice.
This crime demonstrates once again, the continuing armed groups violations of freedom of opinion and expression, and the attack on media freedoms, in particular in the Gaza Strip, and ignoring appeals by various institutions involved in the defense of human rights in general, and the defense of journalists in particular, including Mada center , to keep away journalists from conflict risks between Fatah and Hamas movements.
On the other hand, Mada expresses its concern over the safety of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, as the continued abduction is a threat to his life, especially in light of security condition deterioration in Gaza Strip, because of renewed fighting, and the Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip, therefore Mada center over again demand the Palestinian Authority and government, to work vigorously for Johnston immediate release, and prosecute those responsible for this crime, and all the crimes of aggression against journalists, and bring them to justice.
It is worthy to mention that three journalists have been abducted this year, the first one was Peruvian France press photographer Jaime Razory, in the first of January 2007, the second BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, kidnapped on 12th of March 2007, and the most recent is Abo Asker, while six foreign journalists, has been kidnapped last year, in Gaza Strip, by armed Palestinian groups.
On the other hand, Mada denounce the arrest of Felesteen newspaper office director in West Bank Walid Khalid, yesterday morning from his family home in Iskaka (Salfit) village, by Israeli occupation forces, also condemn Israeli occupation forces attacks against journalists during their coverage of Blain (Ramallah) and Um Salamunah (Bethlehem) demonstrations, against apartheid wall building, yesterday afternoon, either directly or indirectly, and calls for international humanitarian institutions to put pressure on Israel government to release Khaled, and all journalists detained in Israeli prisons, stop violations of media freedoms in the occupied Palestinian territories, and bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.
Ramallah
May 19, 2007