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MADA: Attacks on Journalists Increased in January

PNN – Palestine News Network –  09.02.11 – 17:15

Ramallah – PNN – The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) issued its monthly report for January 2011 documenting violations against journalists and  media  organizations in the Palestinian territories.

Israeli Attacks:
According to MADA report the Israeli military continued their violations against Palestinian journalists in the past month, with the arrest of columnist Alaa Rimawi in the town of Beit Rima, north of Ramallah, who is still in custody until today.

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Israeli authorities prevented Al-Jazeera net correspondent Awad Rajoub from traveling through the Karama border crossing, without providing any justifications.

Quds Net correspondent Diala Jwehan was attacked with tear gas projectiles thrown by the Israeli soldiers  while covering clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths in the Batn Alhawa area of Jerusalem; the Israeli army also attacked Palmedia Agency cameraman Hamza Na’aji while he was covering clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian youths in Silwan, Jerusalem.

Palestinian Attacks:

MADA noted in the report that media freedoms were infringed upon further as a result of Al-Jazeera’s release of the ‘Palestinian Papers’, beginning on Sunday the 23rd of January 2011 through their program “Alhasad Alekhbari”, containing previously unreleased information from Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.  A group of Palestinian youths attempted to raid Al-Jazeera’s office in Ramallah, but were intercepted by Palestinian police.

Four young men, one of whom was armed raided the Pal Media Agency office in Nablus and destroyed some of the holdings in the office after Al-Jazeera had rented the Pal Media studio; unknown persons shot a gun in front of the house Pal Media manager in Nablus Hassan Altiti. The Preventive Security Service summoned Al-Jazeera Net correspondent Awad Rajoub and asked him if he wrote any reports related to the Palestine Papers.

Further violations in the West Bank: the Preventive Security service detained Pal Media photographer Ahmed Kilani, after he conducted an interview with the former Minister of prisoners Wasfi Kabaha, in the city of Jenin, and arrested the columnist Issam Shawar, who is still in custody until now, Quds TV correspondent Ahmed Allbeckawi and Pal Media Agency cameraman Ahmed Gailani, were also detained after they prepared a report on the cost of living in the area Ya’bud in Jenin.

In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian police, cursed and detained a group of journalists and bloggers: Asma’ al-Ghoul, Al Jazeera reporter Nazik Abu Rahma, director and the blogger Razan Madhoun, blogger Abeer Ayoub, and blogger Iba’ Reziq,  in the courtyard of the “Aljundi Almajhoul”, while they were staging a sit-in in solidarity with the Egyptian people.

MADA calls for:

In the end of the report MADA condemned all violations against journalists, and praises the Palestinian journalists who continue covering events in spite of the daily challenges they face. MADA called on the International community to pressure the Israel to respect freedom of expression in the Palestinian territories and to be held accountable for their violations against journalists. MADA also demanded the Palestinian Security Services in West Bank and Gaza Strip to respect the Palestinian Basic Law, especially article 19 that guarantees freedom of expression.

 

 


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PNN – Palestine News Network – MADA: Attacks on Journalists Increased in January.