Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Israel using arrests to silence Palestinian journalists

September 1, 2009 22:59:08 GMT
Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian photojournalist at gunpoint in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Media Coalition has expressed grave concern over Israel's arrest of Palestinian journalists.

The PMC condemned the Zionist action after Israeli soldiers kidnapped journalist Seri Sammour on August 31 in a raid on his house in Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank.

Two days earlier, journalists Ghofraan Zamel from the Al Ain refugee camp and Muhammad Mona from Nablus had been detained.

The PMC said that, in addition to the latest detentions, six other journalists, all from the West Bank, are also languishing in Israeli jails, the al-Qassam website reported on September 1.

The Palestinian Media Coalition appealed to all press and human rights organizations, including Reporters without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists, to speak out against the illegal practices of the Israeli regime.

The PMC said that the journalists' detention was contrary to international norms and conventions, which ensure journalists' rights to freedom of movement and the dissemination of news and information.

The PMC also demanded the immediate release of all journalists without conditions and said that the rising number of journalists detained in Israeli jails points to a conspiracy "to silence" the Palestinian press as was done with 'Bethlehem 2000' radio.

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