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Palestinian Authority releases journalists detained under new cybercrime law
The Palestinian Authority (PA) yesterday released five journalists it arrested last week after being charged with “publishing materials harmful to public security”. They were released on bail and not indicted.
The court originally agreed to keep them in custody for 15 more days, but that decision was cancelled on Monday when the court granted them bail set at 1,000 Jordanian dinars (£1,090).
Last week, the General Intelligence Service of the PA arrested journalists Mamdouh Hamamra, Ahmed Halayqa, Amer Abu Arafa, Tariq Abu Zeid and Qutaiba Qasim. Four of them had worked for Hamas-affiliated media outlets, and the fifth worked as a freelance journalist.
Emad al-Masri, a mid-level manager in the Palestinian Health Ministry, was also arrested for allegedly writing articles critical of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Other writers were reportedly questioned about social media posts.
The arrests follow a new decree published last month, dubbed the Cyber Crimes Law, that allows Palestinian security forces to detain and prison internet users for posts or articles considered detrimental to “national unity” or social cohesion, the Associated Press reported on Friday.
In an attempt to justify the arrests, Wafa news agency published a statement by an unnamed “senior security source” who said that the detained journalists were being interrogated about their role in “leaking sensitive information to hostile parties”.
The journalists reportedly went on hunger strike after their detention was extended by up to 15 days by the Palestinian security service last week.
Amar Dweik, head of Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights, has called the new decree “one of the worst ones written since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994,” as it represents “a significant step back for freedoms in the West Bank”.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights also expressed deep concern over the arrest of the journalists, warning of “the arbitrary use of the provisions of the law or the fabrication of charges in order to undermine the political opponents,” which have “consequences for the legal system, rights and freedoms in general”.
According to the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms, Mada, the PA has blocked 30 websites in the past month, most of which were affiliated to Mohammed Dahlan and Hamas.