Ref:
14/2010

On
Tuesday, 09 March 2010, Palestinian security services in Qalqilya prevented a
press team from Palemdia Group from interviewing journalist Mustafa Sabri
following his release from their detention in the northern West Bank town of
Qalqilya. The Palestinian Center for
Human Rights (PCHR) condemns continued restrictions on Palestinian journalists
in the West Bank, which violate the right to freedom of opinion and expression
and press freedoms. PCHR reiterates its
call for not pushing Palestinian journalists and media professionals into the
ongoing conflict between Fatah and Hamas movements. 

According
to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 12:30 on Tuesday, 09
March 2010, a
press team from Palmedia Group, comprised of journalist Mos’ab Fat’hi
al-Khatib, and photographer Ashraf Abu Shawish, went to the house of journalist
Mustafa ‘Ali Sabti, 43, in
Ghayada neighborhood in Qalqilya, to interview him following his release from
Palestinian jails. As soon as the team
entered the house and started preparations for making the interview,
Palestinian security forces besieged the area. A security man knocked the door and Sabri opened it. Immediately, 3 security men, one of whom was
wearing civilian clothes and introduced himself as the officer of the unit,
entered the house. He requested the
journalists not to conduct the interview, and contacted his command, which sent
reinforcements of security forces to the house. The officer requested al-Khatib and Abu Shawish to accompany the
security forces to the headquarters of his command, and the two journalists
agreed provided that they travel in their car. A security officer traveled with the two journalists in their car. Once thee entered an officer, they were met
by an officer, who has the rank of captain. He said to them: “Given the exceptional circumstances in Qalqilya,
any interview must not be conducted without permission, and with regard to
Mustafa Sabri, it is banned to conduct any interview with him.”

Journalist
Mustafa Sabri had been repeatedly arrested by Palestinian security services,
the first of which was in 2005 and the latest one was on 05 January 2010 by the
Preventive Security Service. In the
latter, his detention was extended by the Magistrate Court, which rejected
several application to release him. He
was detained in the police station in Qalqilya under charges of forming a military
cell. Sabri was an elected member of the
municipal council of Qalqilya, and the spokesman of the Charge and Reform
Parliamentary Bloc in Qalqilya. He also
used to work as a correspondent of the Gaza-based al-Resala newspaper. During his previous detentions, the
Palestinian High Court of Justice repeatedly order his release, but

each
time, he was re-arrested. He was
eventually released on Monday evening, 09 March 2010. 

In
light of the above:

1) PCHR is concerned over
repeated violations of the right to freedom of expression and press freedoms,
and stresses that it is necessary to provide protection for journalists and
mass media and to take measures to allow them to carry out their work freely in
order to ensure the right to freedom of expression and press freedoms; 

2) PCHR emphasizes that
the right to freedom of opinion and expression is ensured under the Palestinian
Basic Law and international human rights instruments; and

3) PCHR calls upon
security services of both governments in Ramallah and Gaza to abstain for
pushing journalists into the ongoing political conflict between the two
governments.