Ref:
25/2011

On Tuesday, 03
May 2011, which marked the World Press Freedom Day, the Palestinian Centre for
Human Rights (PCHR) organized a panel discussion in its head office in Gaza
City on the mechanisms of protection provided to media professionals.
Palestinian journalists and police officers participated in the meeting.

Mr. Hamdi
Shaqqura, Deputy Director of PCHR for Program Affairs, opened the discussion.
Shaqqura welcomed the participants and congratulated media professionals on the
World Press Freedom Day.  He talked about
the challenges that have faced the press work during the past four years. In
addition of the systematic targeting of media professionals and media institutions
by the Israeli occupation forces, the political fragmentation in the
Palestinian Authority has resulted in an unprecedented deterioration of the
human rights situation, including repeated attacks on journalists and media
institutions. Shaqqura explained that this meeting is aimed at opening serious
and frank discussions between journalists, media representatives and human
rights organizations on one hand and the government in Gaza on the other hand,
especially in light of the recent attacks on journalists. The meeting is also
aimed at developing protection mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of such
attacks, and at creating better environments for the freedom of the press work.

Abul Razzak Abu
Jazar, a journalist, stressed that it is necessary to rectify the relationship
between the media and governmental bodies, including security services, learn
lessons from mistakes made in the past and focusing on positive points. He demanded
that the role of the media be enforced and that media be updated about points
agreed upon in the reconciliation agreement between the two parties to the
conflict.

Nofouz al-Bakri,
a reporter of al-Hayat al-Jadeeda newspaper, said that it is important for the media
to find it easy to have access to information and that security services
respect the press work. Al-Bakri noted that police officers are not experienced
in dealing with people in general and media professionals in particular.

Hassan Jaber, a reported
of al-Ayyam newspaper, said that the relationship between media professionals
and human rights organizations must be closer and that this relationship must
be based on mutual confidence between the two parties.  He demanded opening discussions on how to conclude
initial mechanisms to protect media professionals against abuses practiced by
the authorities.

Mr. Bahjat
al-Helo, from the Independent Commission for Human Rights, noted that placing security
considerations over human rights leads to increased violations.  He also warned of using the media to explode
the internal situation, recalling incitement made by some journalists and media
professionals in some local radios in Gaza during the internal fighting between
Fatah and Hamas.

Mr. Yaser Abu
Hein, from Safa News Agency, stressed that increased violations committed
against Palestinian journalists and media professionals are not the result of
the Palestinian fragmentation, noting that wherever there are security services
there are violations.  Abu Hein called
for joining efforts exerted by journalists and media professionals and for
representing them in one body that defend them against the abuses of
authorities.

Fathi Sabbah,
reporter of the London-based al-Hayat newspaper, explained that the crisis in the
relationship between media professionals and security services is not political
as the Palestinian Basic Law guarantees respect for the freedom of opinion and
expression.  However, there is a problem
in the political will and repeated attacks on media professionals are
implemented with a green light by the government, he said.  Sabbah said that some media professionals committed
massacres against themselves when they incited people to kill others via some
media outlets such as local radios.  He
said that these media professionals must have been prosecuted.

Major Ayman
al-Batniji, Palestinian Police Spokesman, stressed that he does not accept
attacks against media professionals by security services, including the police.
 He justified repeated attacks by police
officers’ unawareness of how to deal with people and by the intervention of
other security services.

Dr. Mutaz
al-Khaldi, Director of Public Relations of the Palestinian Police, emphasized that
it is necessary to provide training to security services, including police
officers, on how to deal with media professionals, stressing that the freedom
of expression must be guaranteed.  Al-Khaldi
demanded all media professionals who were subject to violations to communicate
with the Public Relations Department of the Palestinian Police or to submit an
official complaint.

Mr. Mustafa
Ibrahim, a researcher at the Independent Commission for Human Rights, noted
that there is no trust in investigations conducted by security services into complaints
submitted by media professionals and that accountability is the only way to put
an end to such violations, especially a there are pledges given by Prime
Minister Ismail Haneya and Interior Minister to protect media professionals and
facilitate their work.

This meeting was
organized on the occasion of the World Press freedom Day.  PCHR will organize another meeting on this
occasion in PCHR’s office in Khan Yunis titled: “Legal Protection Provided
to Media Professionals in Time of War.” PCHR cooperated with a number of
plastic artists to make a wall painting addressing the freedom of the press.