Solidarity Demonstration Demands Release of Detained Palestinian Journalists

RAMALLAH, September 4, 2011 (WAFA) – A group of journalists, politicians and intellectuals demanded on Sunday the immediate release of four journalists detained in Israeli jails, during a solidarity demonstration.

The demonstration, which was organized by The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) and Al-Jazeera, in front of O'ufar prison, West of Ramallah, in the West Bank, in protest to the Israeli occupation assault on the freedom of speech and to expose the Israeli occupations crimes against journalism and journalists.

The Israeli occupation forces tried to break the sit in and disperse the protestors.

The PJS condemned the arbitrary measures carried out against Al-Jazeera's Kabul Bureau Chief, Samer Allawi, Al-Quds TV Program Coordinator, Nawaf Al-Amer, journalist Mohammad Bsharat, reporter of the Shehab news agency Amer Abu Arafeh, stressing its total rejection of the ongoing aggressions against Palestinian journalist everywhere.

PJS secretary general, Abdul Nasser al-Najjar, said that these arrests aim to get rid of the voice of the media and try to force the journalists to give out information, calling for form international stance against the detention policy.

He said that during the past month, 65 cases of Israeli aggressions against journalists were documented.

Director of the Al-Jazeera office, Walid Al-Omari, stressed that arresting and persecuting of the journalist are unacceptable, since the Palestinians suffered alot from the Israeli measures, which harmed their work, human rights and principles, and freedom of expression.

Head of Palestinian’s Prisoner's Club (PPC) Qadura Fares said that the Israeli occupation targets, all that expresses a contradictory stance to its racial measures.

Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Al-Tirawi said that with its arbitrary policy, Israel increases our people’s persistence and determination to resist the occupation, stressing that “no one” can stand up against the freedom of speech.

Leader of the leftist National Initiative Party Mustafa Al-Barghouti called on the entire world to stand by the freedom of speech and expression and to intervene in order to release the detained journalists.
- WAFA