15 November 2010

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) welcomes the President Mahmoud Abbas decision to release the journalist Tariq Abu Zaid, who was released yesterday after noon, 14 November 2010.

On 8 November 2010, MADA appealed to President to release Abu Zaid before the occasion of Eid Al-Adha and the anniversary of the declaration of the independent Palestinian state, so that he could spend the Eid among his family and friends.

It’s worth to mention that Abu Zaid was arrested in Nablus city in the West Bank 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 another hand, MADA center expresses its concern about unknown person’s threats to kill   Skeyes correspondent in Gaza Asma’ Al-Goul and her son. The accident took place on Wednesday, 10 November 2010. Al-Goul told MADA center that she had received a direct treats to kill her and her son, through a letter arrived on her blog from an unknown person, the letter also contained obscene words. Al-Ghoul added: "I went on Saturday, 13 November 2010 to the police station and filed a complaint about that. It is not the first time that I was threatened, but this time my son's name was included in the threat."

Contact:

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