(RSF/IFEX) – In a 27 July 1999 letter to President Arafat, RSF expressed its concern over the case of Maher El-Alami, a freelance journalist who on 3 and 20 July was summoned to the police station in Ramallah for several hours. When questioned about the publication of articles in the Gaza-based weekly “Al-Istkilal” concerning Palestinian […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a 27 July 1999 letter to President Arafat, RSF expressed its
concern over the case of Maher El-Alami, a freelance journalist who on 3 and
20 July was summoned to the police station in Ramallah for several hours.
When questioned about the publication of articles in the Gaza-based weekly
“Al-Istkilal” concerning Palestinian Authority finances and allegations of
embezzlement, the journalist was directly threatened by a police officer.
RSF noted in its letter that “building a democracy requires the respect of
the right to freely inform and be informed.” The organisation urged
President Arafat to “use his influence to ensure that press freedom is
guaranteed in the Palestinian Authority, as defined in the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
