International Federation of Journalists slams Hamas for arresting Palestinian reporters

Tuesday July 29, 2008 08:53

by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called on Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip to release all reporters who were arrested by security forces loyal to the movement, and demanded Hamas to issue an official apology to all media outlets and affected reporters.

Last week a group of Hamas masked gunmen, who identified themselves as “internal security forces” in Gaza arrested Sawwah Abu Saif, a Palestinian cameraman working with the ARD German agency. The gunmen also abducted Fuad Abu Jarad, a local Palestinian reporter.

Also, Hamas security forces broke into the headquarters of the Palestinian News Agency, WAFA, and confiscated some of its equipment before shutting it down.

The Hamas-controlled forces also broke into a center which includes several media agencies such as an office for Abu Dhabi TV, Fox News, and Sky News.

IFJ secretary-general, Aidan White, demanded Hamas officials to ensure the release of all detained reporters and to apologize to all agencies that its gunmen broke into.

White also demanded Hamas to be committed to prosecute the assailants.

The Palestinian Journalists Union, member of the IFJ, slammed these attacks and demanded the immediate release of all detained reporters in the Gaza Strip and the reporters who were arrested by Fateh security forces in the West Bank.

The IFJ stated that the security forces in the West Bank must release Waddah Eid, an Al Jazeera correspondent in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Eid was arrested by Palestinian security forces in Qalqilia, in the northern part of the West Bank.