Ramallah – 15th May 2013: The Palestinian intelligence service summoned Haroun Abu Ora a freelance journalist for investigation this morning 15th May 2013 to its headquarters in Ramallah.

Abu Ora reported to MADA that he received a call yesterday from the intelligence services to head to their headquarters on the 15th of May “today” at 10 am, so he did and he was interrogated for about 2 hours and a half. Abu Ora added: “the interrogation was mostly related to my personal life and connections and not regarding my journalistic work, they treated me well and I was not harmed, but they did ask me why I posted a photo about the call for investigation”.

And in Hebron, The Preventive Security Service arrested the Israeli affairs editor at Hona Al Quds network Omar Abu Arqoub last week for two days on Sunday 11th may 2013. His brother Ayman Abu Arqoub reported to MADA that members of the preventive security arrested Omar after he was called for investigation at their headquarters in Hebron. Omar Abu Arqoub reported to MADA that the interrogation was related to his work on a film that captures the lives of prisoners, they confiscated his Laptop and his flash memory. Abu Arqoub added:” they released on the evening of Monday, and that I will be called in two days to pick up my personal stuff, and they set an appointment on next Saturday 18th May 2013 for another interrogation”. 

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) expresses grave concern from these interrogations of journalists by security services, and we ask them to stop the violations against freedom of opinion and expression and to respect for the Palestinian Basic Law, which explicitly guarantees the right of expression in Article 19.