MADA monitored 12 violations of media freedom in May 2011, including the near fatal shooting of Mohamed Othman.
(MADA/IFEX) – Violations against journalists continued in May 2011, with the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) monitoring 12 violations last month. The most serious of the reported incidents was the near fatal shooting of Mohamed Othman in Gaza, who was hit with live rounds fired by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and was stuck in the chest and right hand. In another disturbing incident, journalist Walid Khalid was sentenced to 6 months incarceration by an Israeli military judge under the auspices of “administrative detention”, whereby detainees are denied access to the charges or evidence laid against them by Israeli military prosecutors. This denial of the right to a fair trial under civilian and freedom of expression laws is in direct contravention of the standards of international human rights law and conventions.
The Palestinian security services of the West Bank and Gaza also continued their abuses against journalists in May, in clear violation of Article 19 of the Palestinian Basic Law. Nevertheless, despite the continued acts of abuse against journalists by Palestinian security services, a marked decrease can be seen in their numbers – compared with data from the first 4 months of 2011 – in the wake of the recent Fatah-Hamas reconciliation, which although in its infancy has already had a positive impact on journalists’ safety.
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