Ref: 113/2013
Date: 14 November 2013
Time:

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the abduction of Sha’ban Meimah, a photojournalist at al-‘Arabiya News Channel and MBC Channels, and the theft of the outside broadcasting van yesterday by an unknown armed group in Gaza City. This attack is part of the phenomenon of violations of the rule of law and misuse of weapons prevailing in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). PCHR calls upon the Attorney General in Gaza to open a serious investigation into the circumstances of this attack and bring the perpetrators before justice.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and the statement of Sha’ban Mahmoud Meimah (40), at approximately 18:30 on Wednesday, 13 November 2013, a number of unknown gunmen, who were traveling in a Grey “Hyundai Verna” car without a registration plate, kidnapped Meimah while he was in front of his house near the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the north of Gaza City. Meimah stated to PCHR that one of the gunmen started questioning him about his personal data, his work at al-Arabiya Channel, the reason behind closing its office in Gaza, and about the channel’s outside broadcasting van. They then covered his head with a piece of cloth and took him to an unknown destination. Meimah added that the gunmen stopped near al-Quds building near al-Sahabah Street in the northeast of the city, where the outside broadcasting van was, and then took the cloth off his head to ask him about the van’s place. Meimah said that two gunmen got out of the car to drive the van out of the garage and delivered it to other persons, who were waiting in the place. The gunmen then put the cloth back on my head and left the area. He added that they released him two hours later near al-Ghefari Street in the north of the city. He subsequently headed to the Palestinian Police and Internal Security Service to file an official complaint.

PCHR strongly condemns this incident, which is is part of the phenomenon of violations of the rule of law and misuse of weapons prevailing in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). PCHR also calls upon the Attorney General in Gaza to open a serious investigation into the circumstances of the incident and bring the perpetrators before justice.