The Al-Asir Club said in a statement on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (May 3) that the occupation authorities have arrested 16 journalists in their prisons, including the journalist Bushra Al-Tawil from Ramallah.
The club´s statement today, Sunday, stated that the occupation authorities are pursuing policies to restrict freedom of opinion and expression, and to arrest journalists and activists in an ongoing attempt to undermine their societal, cultural and political role and prevent them from uncovering the ongoing crimes against the Palestinians, through continuous prosecution and repeated arrests. , Threats, and repeated attacks in the field of work.
The administrative detention policy constitutes the most prominent systematic policy targeting journalists, as 4 journalists continue to be detained in administrative detention, the last of whom was Alaa al-Rimawi (43 years) from Ramallah, who has been on hunger strike since his arrest on April 21, and the occupation issued an arrest warrant against him. Administrative for a period of three months.
The occupation authorities are holding the Rimawi prisoner in harsh detention conditions in solitary confinement cells in "Ofer" prison, and he faces a difficult health situation, especially since shortly before his arrest, he was infected with the "Corona" virus, and is still suffering from the effects of infection, in addition to the repeated arrests he faced Over the past years, which significantly affected his health, as the total years of his detention reached nearly 11 years.
It is noteworthy that al-Rimawi is married and is the father of five children, the oldest of whom is (15) years old, and the youngest of whom is three.
In addition to the Rimawi prisoner, the occupation has arrested Nidal Abu Aker, Usama Shaheen and Bushra al-Tawil in administrative detention. The Asir Club stated that the captive Abu Aker (52 years) from Bethlehem has been facing administrative detention for years, and his repeated detention exceeded nearly 17 years, most of which was under administrative detention, and during these years he faced persecution and constant threats, and his last arrest was In July of last year, when the occupation transferred him again to administrative detention.
The occupation also continues to pursue the 28-year-old journalist Bushra Al-Tawil from Ramallah, where Al-Taweel has faced repeated arrests since 2011, and at that time the occupation sentenced her to 16 months in prison, and was released after several months in the (Wafa Al-Ahrar) deal, and re-occupied it. She was arrested in 2014, and she restored the rest of her sentence, and after that, she was arrested administratively, the last of which was in November 2020, when the occupation issued administrative arrest warrants against her, and she is now in "Damoun" prison alongside her fellow prisoners.
In addition, prisoner Osama Shaheen (39 years) from Hebron faces repeated arrests, most of which were under administrative detention. The total years of his detention reached 10 and a half years, of which 5 years were in administrative detention, and the occupation re-arrested him in September of last year. To administrative detention again, and two administrative detention orders were issued against him for a period of four months each, given that he is married and father of three children, the eldest of whom is 10 years old, and the youngest of whom is three years old.
The prisoner club pointed out that the reality of the occupation has imposed over the past decades on the Palestinian journalist to engage in the struggle in all its forms and tools as a legitimate right to self-determination, whose work constitutes the most prominent tools of the Palestinian struggle. Life and (46) years old; The prisoner Basem Khandakji, who has been sentenced to three life sentences, the prisoner Ahmed Al Saifi, who has been sentenced to 17 years in prison, the prisoner Munther Mufleh, who has been sentenced to 30 years, and Haitham Jaber, who has been sentenced to 28 years, is imprisoned.
Note that the prisoners Mahmoud Issa, Basem Khandakji, Mundhir Mufleh and Haitham Jaber were able during the years of their captivity to produce a set of books and novels, where literary and cognitive production is the most prominent tool of the prisoners in facing the occupation policies in their prisons, and part of the affirmation of their right to Freedom of speech.
It is worth noting that the occupation has escalated the arrests of journalists since late 2015, which coincided with the outbreak of the popular uprising, in addition to the arrest of hundreds of citizens under the so-called "incitement" item on social media. These arrests affected journalists, students, and academics. Activists, as well as broadcasting companies and radio stations and satellite headquarters over the past few years, have been closed by the occupation with military orders, accompanied by sabotage and confiscation, and some media outlets were closed as a result, and a number of journalists lost their work.
The Al-Asir Club renewed its call for international human rights institutions to seriously intervene to put an end to the ongoing occupation violations against journalists, including systematic arrests, especially the policy of administrative detention, and to guarantee their right to exercise freedom of opinion and expression, and also called for the need to support and entrust the journalist prisoner Alaa al-Rimawi in his battle in opposition to the policy of Administrative detention.
