Addameer met today, Thursday, 23/11/2023, along with a group of Palestinian civil society organizations, with the General- Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, Anthony Bellanger, at the headquarters of the Journalists Syndicate in Ramallah.
Addameer informed the General- Secretary about the cases of detention among journalists, stating that approximately 46 journalists are currently held in occupation prisons, 29 of whom were arrested after the 7th of October. The occupying authorities launched widespread arrest campaigns that targeted various sectors of the Palestinian population, resulting in the detention of over 3130 Palestinians, including 40 journalists. Eleven of them have been released, while 29 remain in detention.
The General- Secretary was also briefed on the case of the journalist Sumayya Jawabreh (30 years old), who was arrested while seven months pregnant on charges of incitement on social media. Later, she was released under harsh and retaliatory conditions, including a bail of 10,000 shekels, indefinite house arrest, and a ban on using any social media platforms.
Addameer also highlighted the situation of a Palestinian journalist who was detained as a hostage until her husband surrenders himself to the occupation authorities.
Addameer also reported that most of the journalists arrested after the 7th of October were subjected to administrative detention orders. This means they are arbitrarily detained without charge, trial and indefinitely, based on a secret file inaccessible to the detainee or their lawyer. As for the remaining journalists, they face charges related to incitement on social media, which violates their fundamental rights to freedom of opinion, expression, and journalistic work.
At the end of the meeting, Addameer urged the General- Secretary to issue a clear and public stance against the arbitrary detention of Palestinian journalists, constituting a war crime. Additionally, Addameer demanded the General-Secretary to put pressure on the occupying authorities to release all Palestinian journalists from occupation prisons.