Tit-for-tat arrests of journalists continue
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 17 December 2009 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Tit-for-tat arrests of journalists continue, 17 December 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4b2f862fc.html [accessed 4 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. |
Reporters Without Borders deplores the continuing tit-for-tat arrests of journalists by Palestinian political rivals Hamas and Fatah, each side carrying out an arrest in response to an arrest by the other faction.
"It is hard to keep track of all the arrests of journalists being made by each side," Reporters Without Borders said. "This is getting ridiculous. We appeal to Fatah and Hamas to put a stop to this endless cycle."
The latest victim is Mohammed Eshtawi, the head of pro-Hamas satellite TV station Al-Aqsa's operations in the West Bank, who was arrested by the Palestinian Authority's security forces in the West Bank city of Ramallah on 14 December. He was previously arrested a month ago at his home in Tulkarem and, before that, was detained from 30 August to 2 September.
Eshtawi's latest arrest came amid Hamas celebrations to mark the 22nd anniversary of the Islamist group's creation and was preceded by the arrest of Ziyad Ismail Awad, the Kuwaiti TV station Wissal's head of programming, on 13 December in the Gaza Strip.
Awad was arrested at around 8 a.m. at his home in Deir Al-Balah by the Hamas interior ministry's security forces and was interrogated for more than 10 hours about his work for Wissal and, in particular, a programme about the living conditions of the Gaza Strip's inhabitants.
There has been a wave of arrests of Al-Aqsa journalists and cameramen in recent months. Cameraman Oussid Amarena, who had already been arrested at least twice in September, was arrested again on 13 November in Bethlehem.
Other recently arrested Al-Aqsa employees include Alaa Al-Titi on 12 November in Hebron, Tariq Abu Zayd on 8 November in Jenin (and on 20 August), Farid Al-Sid on 2 November in Tulkarem, Bilal Al-Tahrir on 2 November in Nablus and Moussa Sadiqi on 21 October in Nablus. Murad Abu Al-Baha, a Nablus-based Hamas information office, was arrested on 24 September.
