Media Workers Killed in 2007: Mohammad Matar Abdo
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | January 2008 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Media Workers Killed in 2007: Mohammad Matar Abdo, January 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e64964b23.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Palestine
May 14, 2007, in Gaza City, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Gunmen wearing Presidential Guard uniforms stopped a taxi carrying Abdo, 25, a manager responsible for distribution and civic relations for the Hamas-affiliated daily, and Suleiman Abdul-Rahim al-Ashi, 25, an economics editor for the paper, Editor-in-Chief Mustafa al-Sawaf told CPJ. The taxi was stopped on May 13 at 2:30 p.m. in a high-security area southwest of Gaza City that was controlled by Fatah, al-Sawaf and other journalists told CPJ.
Al-Sawaf said the two men were beaten before being shot on a public street. Al-Ashi died at the scene, while Abdo was taken to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where he died at 3 a.m. the next day, al-Sawaf and CPJ sources said. The description was based on interviews with eyewitnesses and an account that Abdo provided his brother before he died, al-Sawaf said.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the Palestinian Journalists Block both denounced the killings. Mohamed Edwan, a spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, said Fatah had nothing to do with the killings and that presidential guards were instructed to shoot only in self-defense. He said Fatah condemned the killings and urged that the perpetrators be punished.
Al-Ashi and Abdo were scheduled to meet with economic and tourism organizations in Gaza that afternoon, al-Sawaf told CPJ. The fledgling Palestine newspaper was launched in May. The murders came amid clashes in the coastal strip between the Fatah and Hamas factions.
Media Support Worker: In 2003, CPJ began documenting the deaths of vital media employees such as translators, drivers, fixers, and administrative workers.
