Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)

Press Release

MADA calls to stop harassments against the journalist Al-Bakri

26 April 2010

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) strongly condemns “Alhayat Aljadedah" correspondent Nufouth Al-Bakri house raid, by a group of civilians who said that they are belonging to the Information Ministry, in the dismissed government in Gaza, who asked her to get a license for her home as a “Press office" or to stop sending news to the daily newspaper “Alhayat Aljadedah" which published in Al-Biereh city near Ramallah in the West Bank.  Yesterday afternoon 25 April 2010.

Al-Bakri said that civilian persons, who said that they are belonging to the Ministry of Information, came to her house and asked her to get a press office license to her home, because she is working with Alhayat Aljadedah newspaper. But she told them that she is working from her home because the newspaper office is closed, and this is her own home and not a press office. So they answered her that this is the Information Ministry instruction. Al-Bakri added: “I called an official from the Information Ministry, but he denied that he had sent anyone to my home, as he was in vacation a week ago."

 It is worth mentioning that Al-Bakri home was raided on 7 March 2010 by civilians who said that they are belonging to the Interior Ministry in the dismissed government.

MADA demands to stop harassments against the journalist Al-Bakri, and to let her and all journalists to work freely without any restricts.

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Contact:

Riham Abu Aita
Public Relation Officer
Ramallah
info@madacenter.org
madapalestine@yahoo.com
www.madacenter.org

Tel. & Fax: 00970 2 2976519