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| PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PRESS RELEASE |
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Ref: 98/2005
Date: 16 August 2005
Time: 01:00 GMT
Another Kidnapping as UN Evacuates
On the day on which the UN announced its intention to evacuate “all non-essential” staff from the Gaza Strip another international has been kidnapped inside the Gaza Strip. PCHR calls for his immediate release and for the PNA to act to bring the perpetrators to justice by arresting them and placing them on trial. PCHR also calls on civil society, local communities and the political factions to ensure that no further kidnappings take place.
On the day that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees in the Middle East announced that it was going to be evacuating its non-essential headquarters staff a French-Arabic journalist was been kidnapped in Gaza City. The journalist, a sound operator for Channel 3, was reportedly kidnapped outside the Gaza International Hotel in the Rimal district of Gaza city around midnight on the 14th of August 2005.
Despite the fact that he has been abducted for almost 40 hours, at the time of going to press, scant details are available about his whereabouts and no information has been received from the kidnappers about demands.
This latest incident comes as part of an escalating pattern of kidnappings which has seen 5 kidnappings occur in 6 weeks inside the Gaza Strip. At the same time the premises of the International Committee of the Red Cross was also attacked in Khan Yunis on Sunday the 7th of August.
The most recent kidnapping of 3 UN staff members, which also resulted in injuries to 2 Palestinian civilians, has compelled UNRWA to evacuate the majority of its Gaza Headquarters Staff to Jerusalem and Amman for their own safety. Concerns have been raised not simply regarding the ability of the Security Services to act effectively to prevent and deter kidnappings but also about the potential involvement of some members of the security services, or of those close to the Fatah party, in the kidnappings themselves.
PCHR continues to comprehensively condemn all attacks against international solidarity activists or international staff members of international organisations. Often the goal of these people and their organisations are to provide assistance to the Palestinian people during this belligerent Israeli occupation.
PCHR is gravely concerned at this significant and ongoing escalation in attacks against international activists and staff of international organisations inside the Gaza Strip. PCHR condemns the ongoing absence of any clear, coherent and effective action by the Palestinian National Authority to arrest and place the perpetrators on trial. PCHR calls on civil society activists, members of all political factions (National and Islamic) as well as local communities to take vigilant measures to prevent any further escalation of these attacks.
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Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
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