Report documents journalist rights violations

___2 Palestine, February 10, 2010 (Pal Telegraph) - A number of violations of the rights of journalists, most
committed by the Israeli occupation forces, occurred in the Palestinian territories last month. The following journalists were assaulted by Israeli forces during their professional work: Haroon Amayreh, Musa'b Al-Khatib, Ahmad Al-Kilani, Yousif Shaheen, Ayed Awemer, Rami Swidan and Issam Rimawi. In addition, they detained and deported Maan News Agency English Chief Editor Jared Malsin, an American citizen.

In contrast, there were fewer violations against journalists by Palestinian authorities. Preventive Security in the West Bank arrested freelance journalist Mustafa Sabri. In addition, a member of National Security raided the home of Aqsa TV cameraman and news producer Ammar Altilawy, who was beaten in a police station in the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) issued a statement in response, condemning all violations against journalists and welcoming the reduction in the number of violations by Palestinian authorities. However, it emphasized the need to stop the violations completely, and to release all the detained journalists. Meanwhile, MADA expressed its concern over the significant number of Israeli attacks on journalists, and called upon the international community to pressure the Israeli government to cease violating reporters' freedom of expression in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Details of the violations:

(Jan. 4) Freelance journalist Mustafa Sabri was arrested by Palestinian Preventive Security forces in Qalqilia in the West Bank. Sabri's wife said that some people affiliated with the PPS came to their house at 4:45 p.m. and asked Sabri to accompany them to their headquarters. She asked them to give Sabri time to eat, because he was fasting, but they refused.

(Jan. 8) Palestinian Public TV Correspondent Ayed Awemer was attacked by the Israeli occupying forces in Al-Nabi Saleh village west of Ramallah. Awemer said he went on Jan. 8 to cover a march to protest the confiscation of their land for the Halmish settlement. While he was interviewing
Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Habash, a soldier approached him and threw a gas bomb at him. He then lost consciousness and was taken to an ambulance for treatment.

(Jan. 12) Maan News Agency's English editor, Jared Malsin, was detained at Ben Gurian Airport security forces near Tel Aviv. According to a Maan statement, Malsin was scheduled for deportation at 6 a.m. the next day, but the move was temporarily stayed when the news agency's attorney, Castro Daoud, filed a request for an injunction. The request was denied by the Israeli attorney general, but accepted by a judge shortly before midnight. Interrogation transcripts reveal that Malsin's detention was linked to his work as a professional journalist. He was interrogated for
eight hours in a detention hall, during which time he had no access to a lawyer or to his consulate. Airport officials indicated that he was denied entry into the country for "failing to cooperate" with Israeli security personnel, and because he had authored news stories "inside the territories" and articles "criticizing the State of Israel."

Malsin was deported on Jan. 20 by Israeli authorities. Malsin rejected reports that he left Israel voluntarily, saying that "there's no such thing as a voluntary deportation. I was deported, period."

(Jan. 14) The home of Aqsa TV Cameraman and News Producer Ammar Yasir Altilawy was raided in Khan Younis,Gaza, by an armed member of the National Security Force, a division of the Ministry of Interior. Altilawy said that "my house was raided by an armed and uniformed person under the pretext that he wanted he thought I had of a military operation carried out by someone before his martyrdom. He stole my laptop and left a message that if he did not find the pictures on the laptop, he will kidnap me by force." Altilawy added that "after that, I went to the police headquarters to report the incident. They told me they cannot do anything because the aggressor works in National Security, adding I should come back to their office later." Altilawy said that "I went with my father back to the police office on Saturday to follow the case, where the duty officer was one of the aggressor's siblings. I asked him about my complaint, and told him I'm afraid that his brother will kidnap me. When the officer told me he could not do anything, and I said I will solve it in my own way, the officer said to his soldiers: "hit him."

According to Altilawy, "they beat me severely with sticks and feet. There were about 10 soldiers, and when my father (50 years old) tried to keep them away from me, they also beat him. After that they took me to a room, put me up against a wall and raised my hands. The officer severely beat and slapped me, then ordered the soldiers to put me in the jail. They also confiscated my property and my mobile phone. After an hour, somebody from the police interfered and tried to convince me to apologize to the officer so I could be released. However, I refused because I didn't do anything wrong. After that, they released me with a pledge." Altilawy concluded that "this is the fifth day after the attack on me and my home, and the police didn't do anything. To the contrary, when the officer heard that my story was spreading around, he called one of my relatives and threatened to arrest and persecute me."

(Jan. 23) Quds TV Correspondent Musa'b Al-Khatib and Palestinian cameraman Ahmed Kilani were humiliated and detained by settlement security and the Israeli occupation forces near the Ariel settlement, near Salfit in the West Bank. According to Al-Khatib, he was working with his colleague Kilani on a report about "the chances of resuming peace negotiations in light of Israeli settlement expansion." During filming, two security men approached them and asked for their personal identity cards. Then they summoned the Israeli army, who forced Kilani to delete the report, then handcuffed and blindfolded them, took them to an unknown area and threw them on the ground for an hour. Al-Khatib added: "After that, an army officer who spoke Arabic interrogated us about our professional work and about the TV station we work with, and he told us that we would be released soon. Later, they took us back to where we were filming and ordered us to stay away from the area. Al-Khatib ended by saying: "We told them that we are journalists and we showed them our journalist cards, but they did not care, and continued insulting and detaining us."

(Jan. 23) Palestinian cameraman Yousif Shaheen was arrested by Israeli occupation soldiers in Litwaneh village near Hebron in the West Bank. According to Shaheen, he was covering a protest march against the expansion of Jewish settlements in Litwaneh on Jan. 23. One of the soldiers approached him and told him to stay away because it is a closed military zone. He went to another spot, but the solider followed him and took him to the police station in the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba, and filed a complaint against him. Shaheen added, "They interrogated me about the Palestinian journalists' news sources and the way we work, and accused me of inciting demonstrators to escalate the protest just to be able shoot pretty pictures. After an investigation, he forced me to put my thumbprint on some papers, and sign another paper in which I pledged that I will not enter the Litwaneh area for two months, or I will pay a big fine."

(Jan. 28) Maan News Agency photographer Rami Swidan, cameraman Ashraf Abu Shawish, Reuters photographer Abdel-Rahim Alquini and Reuters cameraman Hassan Titi were attacked by the Israeli occupation army in Burin, south of Nablus in the West Bank. Swidan said they were covering a story on the cultivation of olive trees in Burin. One soldier approached him and ordered him to stop, but he insisted on filming anyway. They argued, then the soldier hit Swidan on his chest and tried
to take the camera from him by force. However, the other journalists interfered and separated the two. After that, the soldiers threw a tear gas grenade at them and tried to disperse them.

(Jan. 29) Palestine Public TV Correspondent Haroon Amayreh was attacked by Israeli occupation soldiers in Bili'n village near Ramallah. Amayreh said he went there to cover the activities of the weekly march and when he was interviewing Fatah Central Comittee member Sultan Abul-Enein, Israeli soldiers threw a gas bomb at them. Amayreh expeirence severe difficulty breathing and
he could not complete the interview. He was taken to an ambulance and given the necessary treatment.

(Jan. 29) Essam Rimawi, photographer for the AP and Alhayat Aljadeda newspaper, was injured in Al-Nabi Saleh village to the west of Ramallah by the Israeli occupation forces. Rimawi said was covering a march in protest of land confiscation, and while he was doing his job an Israeli
soldier fired rubber-coated steel bullets at him. He was wounded in his left hand.

Source: Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)

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