The Israeli District Court ruled to imprison Alalam TV correspondent Khader Shaheen and producer Mohamed Sarhan.
(MADA/IFEX) – The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) condemns a 14 June 2009 decision by the Israeli district court in Jerusalem to imprison Alalam TV correspondent Khader Shaheen and producer Mohamed Sarhan.
The office director of Alalam TV in the West Bank, Fares Sarafendi, said that the court sentenced the two men to two months’ imprisonment and six months’ suspended imprisonment. The defense is appealing the sentence to the Israeli high court. They will remain under house arrest until the court makes its decision.
Israeli authorities arrested Shaheen and Sarhan on 5 January, under the pretext that they were publishing information on the movements of the Israeli occupation army shortly before the ground war in the Gaza Strip, at the beginning of this year. They were released on bail on 15 January and placed under house arrest. They were also prevented from doing their journalistic work, based on a decision of the district court.
