8 November 2010

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) calls upon Mr. President Mahmoud Abbas to release the journalist Tareq Abu Zaid, especially before the occasion of Eid Al-Adha and the anniversary of the declaration of the independent Palestinian state next week, so that he could spend the Eid among his family and friends.

Today marks one year after the arrest of Abu Zaid in the city of Nablus in the West Bank. Abu Zaid was arrested on 8 November 2009 because of his work as a correspondent of Aqsa TV.  Then he was sentenced to a year and a half on 16 February 2010 in a Palestinian military court, in spite of the Supreme Court decision to release him on 12 January 2010.

On the other hand MADA center welcomes the release of Quds TV correspondent Mamdouh Hamamrah on bail of 400 dinars (568$) yesterday evening. Hamamrah had been detained since 19 September 2010, and was charged in a formal indictment on 25 October 2010, and his trial will be on 23 November 2010.

MADA center demands the concerned authorities to stop the policy of journalist's arrest in the occupied Palestinian territories, and to allow journalists to work freely, and to express their opinion safely without fear.

Contact:

Riham Abu Aita
Public Relation Officer
Ramallah
riham@madacenter.org
HYPERLINK "http://www.madacenter.org"www.madacenter.org
00970 2 2976519