Ramallah - 12th January 2014: The members of the Palestinian National Security and the police detained Raya Media Agency photographers Samer Nazal and Shady Hatem, during their coverage of clashes between security forces and residents of Jalazoun Refugee Camp south of Ramallah, who closed several entrances of Ramallah city, in protest against the strike of UNRWA employees for more than 40 days.
Nazal reported to The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) that he was covering the event with his colleague Shadi Hatem, during which the security police men approached them, and confiscated their cameras. Nazzal added: “After about a quarter of an hour they returned our cameras, but they deleted all footage and told us not to capture the faces of the security men or film their attacks on the people of the camp”.
We (MADA) condemn this violation that is against the Palestinian Basic Law, which guarantees freedom of opinion and expression. And we (MADA) demand the authorities to enable journalists to exercise their professional duty freely.
