Press Release

Palestinian Police Escalate Measures Against the Media

Date: 3 June 2000

Ref: 72/2000

 

On 2 June 2000 Palestinian police closed the private television station Al Mahd in Bethlehem and arrested its General Director and the Head of the Palestinian Union of Private Televisions and Radio Stations, Sameer Qumseyya. This is the fifth measure adopted by the Palestinian police against private radio and television stations within less than a month. PCHR believes that such measures constitute severe violations of the right of freedom of expression, and are contrary to the Palestinian Law of Press and Publications of 1995.

On 5 May 2000, Palestinian police closed Al Hub wa Alsalam (Love and Peace) private radio station in Ramallah for one week. On 21 May 2000, Palestinian police closed Al Watan private television station for several days. On 30 May 2000, Palestinian police closed Al Nasser television station and Al Manara radio station (both private) in Ramallah. On 27 May 2000, Palestinian police arrested Fathi El Barqawi, a radio announcer and the news department General Director of the Palestinian Voice public radio station.

PCHR is concerned that the latest measures of the Palestinian police against Al Mahd television station, and the arrest of its General Director, Sameer Qumseyya, are reactions to criticisms by Qumseyya of the previous measures taken by the Palestinian police against media institutions. In his criticisms, he stated that these prior closures were illegal. The administrative board of the Palestinian Union of Private Television and Radio Stations, headed by Qumseyya, held an emergency meeting after the closure of Al Watan television station, and decided to stop operation of all private television and radio stations for half an hour as a protest at the police measures.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights expresses its deep concern at the measures recently taken by the Palestinian police against media institutions that are licensed to operate in the Palestinian authority areas. These measures violate the right to freedom of expression and publication and are contrary to the Palestinian Law of Press and Publications of 1995, which provides in Article 42 that only the Attorney General is responsible for investigation of any possible violations of this law, and that a specialized court has jurisdiction to decide on any claims of such violations. The above-mentioned measures contradict the rule of law and undermine the role of the Ministry of Information, which is supposed to administer the work of media institutions.