|
Ramallah – 2nd June 2013: the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitored dangerous Palestinian violations against journalists during May in Palestine, embodied by the anonymous death threats and a bomb planted outside the house of Nasser Abu Mayala one of the workers in the TV program “an eye on/ A’yn A’la", to intimidate the crew not to broadcast the new episode, along with other types of Palestinian violations marked by arrests, detention, and calls for interrogation in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
As for the journalists in Jerusalem, they have borne the largest share of violations by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF), which suppressed them by physical abuse, detention, and sprayed them with water. In the West Bank the IOF arrested one photographer in Hebron and sentenced another to three months in jail.
The Palestinian Violations:
The members of the Internal Security in the Gaza Strip detained and assaulted five journalists, during their coverage of a solidarity march organized by the Popular Front (PFLP), on Tuesday evening 7th May 2013, in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Internal Security also summoned the former Culture minister and writer Ibrahim Abrash for investigation, on Friday 25th May 2013, for writing an article in which he criticized Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi's visit to the Gaza Strip.
In the West Bank, the Preventive Security Services in the city of Hebron arrested the Israeli affairs editor of "Hona Al Quds" network Omar Abu Arqoub, for two days on 11th May 2013. And the Palestinian intelligence service summoned the journalist Haroun Abu Arra for investigation, on the morning of Wednesday, 15th May 2013, to the headquarters in the city of Ramallah.
The workers of the TV program “an eye on/ A’yn A’la", which is broadcast on Palestine Public TV were threatened twice during the last month by unknown assailants, where on Thursday 9th May 2013 a video was posted on YouTube threatening the program presenter Ruba Al Najjar of rape and murder, after the episode broadcasted on “the phenomenon of begging for money in Palestine”, and on Saturday 25th May 2013, a bomb was planted in front of the house of Nasser Abu Mayala, the program staff worker, with a threatening letter directed to him and his colleagues Al Najjar not to broadcast the episode scheduled to air on Sunday 26th May, which shed light on the "fortune-tellers and charlatans."
Israeli Occupation Violations:
Israeli court sentenced Al-Aqsa TV reporter Tareq Abu Zeid to three months in prison and a fine of 2,000 NIS “approximately 580 USD”, on charges of “participating in a march against Israel”, a march he was covering on Thursday May 2nd 2013. The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) also arrested the freelance photojournalist Uday Haribat from his home in the city of Hebron on Monday 27th May 2013.
On Wednesday 8th May 2013, In Jerusalem, the Israeli Occupation Police attacked a group of journalists during their coverage of the Palestinian march to protest the annual march organized by the Israeli settlers in Jerusalem under the name of "reunification of Jerusalem". The journalists are: Al-Arabiya cameraman George Khoury, Al Quds Net Correspondent Diala Jwehan, and the photographers Fayez Abu Ermila and Najeeb Alrazm.
The occupation forces also attacked a group of Jerusalemites journalists during their coverage of the Nakba march at the JerusalemBab al-Amud gate “Damascus gate” on Wednesday 15th May 2013. The journalists are: Al-Arabiya cameraman Tawfiq Abu Saliba, the correspondent of Al Quds Net Diala Jwehan, and the Chinese Agency photographer Muammar Awad. The IOF also sprayed all media crews present with water.
Quds Net Photographer Hothayfa Ali Jamous (20 years old) was injured by a rubber bullet in his upper jaw, while covering the clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths in the town of Abu Dies, on Saturday 18th May 2013.
Conclusions and Recommendations:
MADA has noted through its monitoring an upsurge in Palestinian violations of media freedoms in Palestine during the month of May compared to the past few months, so we demand that all related parties to respect freedom of opinion and expression and to commit to Article 19 of the Palestinian Basic Law, which guarantees freedom of opinion and expression explicitly, we also call for the disclosure of the results of the inquiry committee which was formed to investigate the attack and detention of five journalists in Khan Younis on 7th May 2013, and we demand the prosecution of those responsible for the bomb planted outside the home of journalist Nasir Abu Mayala which threatened him and his colleague Ruba al-Najjar.
While MADA condemns all violations against journalists and demands that those responsible to be held accountable, the center also calls on the international community to take serious and fast steps in order to protect journalists in the course of their professional duty to cover events, and to oblige the occupation to respect international conventions in this area.
Details of violations:
(2/5) Israeli court sentenced Al-Aqsa TV reporter Tareq Abu Zeid to three months in prison and a fine of 2,000 NIS “approximately 580 USD”, on charges of “participating in a march against Israel”, a march he was covering on Thursday May 2nd 2013. His father reported to MADA that the occupation forces trumped up charges against his son, and that there is video evidence that the arrest took place while Abu Zeid was filming, and shows the camera on his shoulder. Abu Zeid was arrested on 8th March 2013, and was released after serving his sentence on 26th May 2013.
(7/5) The internal security in the Gaza Strip detained and assaulted five journalists while covering a solidarity march organized by the Popular Front (PFLP) on Tuesday evening 7thMay 2013, in the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Image Agency photographer Eyad Elbaba reported to MADA that the journalists received an invitation to cover the solidarity protest following the Israeli aggression on Syria, in Khan Younis around 6 pm, and after a quarter of an hour into the protest members of the security forces surrounded everyone and began shouting at the demonstrators to break up the protest. Then he and 4 of his colleagues were arrested; the photojournalist Adham Abu Shahma, Al Midan TV cameraman Abd El Aziz Alafifi and the correspondent Ahmed Ghanem, Palestine Today TV cameraman Mohamed AbuTaha. Elbaba added: “they put us in a tight corner and treated us like criminals, and they attacked us with punches, and detained us at the center of detectives for two hours, and then we met a colonel detective who apologized for what happened to us and then released us. What happened was a big insult for us."
(8/5) Israeli police attacked a group of journalists during their coverage of the Palestinian march to protest the annual march organized by the Israeli settlers in Jerusalem under the name of "reunification of Jerusalem", on Wednesday 8th May 2013, in the occupied city of Jerusalem. Al-Arabiya cameraman George Khoury reported to MADA that he was severely beaten by police while covering the events of the march. Khoury added: "I have been working in this field for many years now, but this was the most extreme assault I been through, they were very violent with all the journalists and they had instructions not to allow us to cover the event”. Al Quds Net correspondent Diala Jwehan reported to MADA that she was harassed twice by the occupation forces and that they beat her colleagues Fayez Abu Ermila and Najib Alrazm, who were detained for about an hour at the police station. Jwehan added: "they used violence with all journalists; I even saw the police hit Israeli reporters ".
(9/5) An anonymous posted a video on YouTube threatening the presenter of "an eye on/ A’yn A’la" TV program aired on Palestine Public TV Ruba Al Najjar of rape and murder, On Thursday 9th May 2013, after the broadcast of an episode on “the phenomenon of begging for money in Palestine”, which contained an Investigation report on the topic, and revealed the involvement of persons holding public positions. Al Najjar reported to MADA that she filed a formal complaint at the Palestinian police station regarding the threat, and they immediately began to investigate in order to identify the assailant.
(11/5) In the West Bank, the Preventive Security Service in the city of Hebron arrested the Israeli affairs editor of the network "Hona Al Quds" Omar Abu Arqoub for two days on Sunday 11th May 2013. Ayman Abu Arqoub, Omar’s Brother, reported to MADA that his brother was arrested after he was called to the Preventive Security Service’s Headquarters in Hebron. Omar Abu Arqoub reported to MADA that the interrogation was regarding his work on a film that captures the lives of prisoners, and they confiscated his laptop and flash memory. Abu Arqoub added: “They released me on Monday afternoon and that they will contact me within two days to get my stuff back, and they set a second interrogation date on Saturday 18th May 2013”. Abu Arqoub went to the headquarters again and was interrogated and then released, and his file was terminated after the intervention of several public personals.
(15/5) The occupation forces attacked a group of Jerusalemites journalists during their coverage of the Nakba march at the Jerusalem gate known as “Bab al-Amud” on Wednesday 15th May 2013. The journalists are: Al-Arabiya cameraman Tawfiq Abu Saliba, the correspondent of Al Quds Net Diala Jwehan, and the Chinese Agency photographer Muammar Awad. Abu Saliba reported to MADA that the Israeli occupation forces severely beat him with hands and sticks while he was covering the march, and they detained him for about 5 hours and then released him after they handed him a court order on charges of assaulting three soldiers. Abu Saliba added: "I did not assault any soldier, they beat me and I have clear bruises on my face." Jwehan Reported to MADA that the occupation forces were extremly violent sprayed all media crews present with water to disperse them and prevent them from covering, and they beat the journalist Muammar Awad badly with their hands and sticks.
(15/5) the Palestinian intelligence service summoned the journalist Haroun Abu Arra for investigation, on the morning of Wednesday, 15th May 2013, to the headquarters in the city of Ramallah. Abu Arra reported to MADA center that he received a call on Tuesday 14thMay 2013 from the intelligence service to go to their headquarters the next day at ten in the morning, and when he went there he was interrogated for about two hours and a half. Abu Arra added: "The Interrogation revolved around my personal life and my relationships, not my journalism work. I was treated well during the investigation and was not harmed, but they questioned me regarding my facebook post about the interrogation call”.
(18/5) The Occupation Forces Attacked Quds Net Photographer Hothayfa Ali Jamous (20 years old), while covering the clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths in the town of Abu Dies, on Saturday 18th May 2013. Jamous reported to MADA that he went to cover the clashes that erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths, after the youths demolished part of the apartheid wall in the area. Jamous came out of his office about nine o'clock in the evening and began covering the clashes, and that’s when a soldier asked him to stop covering, so he returned to his office. Jamous added: "When the clashes eruption increased, I came down again from the office with my camera, and that’s when a soldier targeted me by a rubber bullet that hit my upper jaws, and broke three of my teeth”.
(25/5) on Saturday 25th May 2013 an anonymous planted a bomb in front of the house of Nasser Abu Mayala, staff worker at “an eye on/ A’yn A’la" TV program aired on Palestine Public TV, with a threatening letter directed to him and his colleagues Al Najjar not to broadcast the episode scheduled to air on Sunday 26th May, which shed light on the "fortune-tellers and charlatans”. Al Najjar reported to MADA that an anonymous placed a bag with a bomb inside it, and a threat letter, in front of her coworker’s home Naser Aby Mayala, on the morning of yesterday 25th May 2013. The letter stated: “if you broadcast the episode on Sunday, the bomb will explode next time and target you and your coworker Ruba”. Al Najar added that she and her coworker made a formal complaint to the Security Detectives office, which began to carry out the necessary investigations.
(25/5) The Internal Security in Gaza summoned the former Culture minister and writer Ibrahim Abrash for investigation on Friday, 25th May 2013, for writing an article in which he criticized Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi's visit to the Gaza Strip. Abrash Reported to MADA that he received a summon to investigate him at the headquarters of the internal security, and when he went there he was questioned about the article, and was detained for about 5 hours, then he was released and was demanded to return the next day. Abrash added: “I did not go the next day, so they showed up at my house and arrested me, and after about an hour of detention they released me after the intervention of several members of the Legislative Council and human rights institutions”.
(27/5) The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested the freelance photojournalist Uday Haribat from his home in the city of Hebron on Monday 27th May 2013. His brother Mahmoud Haribat reported to MADA that a strong occupation force group surrounded their home at about four o'clock in the morning, and then raided the house and searched it, and they brought dogs as well. Haribat added: “They inquire about my brother and arrested him. I think it has to do with the photos he take, where he had published a picture of a military jeep belonging to the occupation forces burning on several newspapers and Palestinian news websites just days before”.
|
