Mada Center expresses its deep concern over the continuing abduction of BBC correspondent Alan Johnson, by an armed Palestinians group, in Gaza City on the 12th of March.
Mada Center is surprised, of non-release of Johnson until now, despite two weeks passed since his abduction, although the identity of the kidnappers is known to concerned official Palestinian bodies.
The continued abduction of Johnson is a threat to his life, and a blatant infringement on the media freedoms in the Palestinian territories, and negative indicator for arrival and stay of foreign journalists in the Palestinian territories, especially as he was one of few journalists, who chose to remain in Gaza Strip over the past four years, despite the kidnapping of foreign journalists, which Gaza strip witnessed in the last three years, eight of them, since the beginning of last year.
Mada center renew its condemnation of this crime, and call on the Palestinian Authority and government, to move quickly, to release Johnson, and prosecute his kidnappers, and all those responsible for the crimes of journalists kidnapping, and bring them to justice, and to take firm action to end this abusive phenomenon to the Palestinian people, and their just cause, and which constitute a threat to freedom of opinion and expression.
Ramallah
March 25, 2007