A Hebron judge acquitted journalist Alaa Al-Titi on all charges of "breaching the peace" and "inciting sectarian violence" via his work at Aqsa TV.
(MADA/IFEX) – On 20 September 2011, a Hebron Magistrate’s Court judge decided to acquit journalist Alaa Al-Titi of all charges of “breaching the peace” and “inciting sectarian violence” via his work at Aqsa TV. Al-Titi had been charged in October 2008.
Al-Titi told MADA that his trial was conducted in two sessions, with his lawyer, Mr. Hamza Awad, presenting a written defence refuting the charges against his client in the first, and the judge issuing the acquittal in the second, a full three years after the charges were first brought. This is the second time Al-Titi has been acquitted of these charges after the prosecution successfully appealed a “not guilty” verdict on 24 April 2009.
The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) welcomes the court’s decision and commends the Palestinian judiciary for the ruling. MADA also calls on the authorities to stop indicting journalists for their professional work.
