[Pnews] On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Addameer highlights the suffering of Palestinian journalists

[Prisoner News]

addameer.org <https://www.addameer.org/news/5419>
On the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists,
Addameer highlights the suffering of Palestinian journalists.
November 3, 2024
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03-11-2024

November 2 marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against
Journalists. On this occasion, Addameer sheds light on the suffering of
journalists in the occupied Palestinian territories. For decades,
Palestinian journalists have faced various forms of violations, including
arrest, mistreatment, beatings, and ongoing harassment, even to the extent
of being targeted with deadly force.

The occupation has increasingly targeted Palestinian journalists over
recent years, reaching a peak in its crackdown on journalism in the
occupied Palestinian territories following the onset of the ongoing Israeli
aggression and genocidal war against the Palestinian people on October 7.
Since that date, the occupation forces have killed over 180 Palestinian
journalists. Prisoner organizations have documented more than 132 cases of
arrests of Palestinian journalists since October 7, with 35 orders of
administrative detention issued in total since October 7. Currently, 67
journalists are held in occupation prisons, including 20 under
administrative detention. Approximately 30 journalists have been arrested
from Gaza, one of whom died in custody. It is important to note that the
number of detainees from Gaza provided by prisoner organizations is
incomplete, as the occupation enforces a policy of enforced disappearance,
leaving the actual numbers unknown.

The occupation arrests journalists in its prisons, often charging them with
incitement. Frequently, arbitrary administrative detention orders are
issued against them without any formal charges, and these detention orders
are often renewed. This is part of the broader policy of the occupation
against all sectors of the Palestinian population.

Journalist Sh. S. from Gaza is facing deliberate medical neglect and
mistreatment:

The occupation arrested journalist Sh. S. from the vicinity of Al-Shifa
Hospital after it was stormed by the occupation forces on March 18, 2024,
while he was actively working as a journalist. During the arrest, they
stripped him and others completely after searching them and took them to an
unknown location along with dozens of detainees. They were subjected to
severe physical assault multiple times. After about 90 days of detention in
the occupation camps, which lack even the most basic humanitarian
conditions, Sh.S. stated: "Even though I told them that I suffer from
several health issues, they treated me harshly, and the interrogation
lasted for more than 10 hours."

Journalist Tarek Al-Sharif:

The occupation arrested journalist Tarek Al-Sharif from his home on
November 19, 2023, after storming his house in the early morning. He was
interrogated about his journalistic work and posts on his personal Facebook
account. Tarek recounts, "After about two days of my arrest, I was taken to
a Shabak interrogation center near Ofer, where one investigator introduced
himself as 'Ahrabi.' I felt he was very hostile. The interrogation lasted
about four hours, during which I was handcuffed with my hands in front of
me. The focus of the interrogation was on my journalistic work,
particularly a segment I conducted on Al-Raya Radio in the morning program
on October 8, 2023, as well as other segments from 2021 to 2023. Then, I
was returned to my cell. On the eighth day of my detention, a court session
was held for me via VC technology, during which my detention was extended
for a week on charges of incitement. Later, the occupation issued a
sentence against me of 10 months in prison based on my journalistic work.”

Addameer views the administrative and military punitive measures taken by
the occupation forces against Palestinian journalists defending human
rights as a violation of international humanitarian law. These actions aim
to deter and intimidate the Palestinian community and compel them to
abandon their inalienable rights. The arrest of journalists is a blatant
crime against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Global
Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. Addameer calls on
the international community to take serious action to stop these policies.
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