29 july 2019
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The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) issued a report on the violations of media freedoms in Palestine during the first half of this year 2019.
The report pointed to the high number of violations that affected the media freedoms in Palestine during the first half of 2019, where “MADA” monitored and documented a total of 330 attacks compared to 277 attacks were monitored during the same period of 2018, a total increase of 53 attacks or 19%. The Israeli occupation forces and authorities committed 150 attacks (45% of the total attacks), and 115 attacks were committed by various Palestinian sides (35% of the total attacks. Most of the Palestinian attacks took place in the Gaza Strip, and 65 |
violations were committed by Facebook company, which closed pages and accounts for Palestinian journalists and writers in the West Bank and Gaza under the pretext of fighting “incitement to violence and terrorism” (20% of all attacks monitored and documented in the first half of 2019).
Despite the relative decline in the number of Israeli attacks compared to the first half of 2018, the number of Israeli attacks monitored in the first six months of the year 2019 still exceeds the average number of Israeli attacks in the past eight years.
The Israeli attacks were divided into 91 attacks in the West Bank including the occupied city of Jerusalem, and 59 attacks in the Gaza Strip. 55 of the total Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip were considered serious, because most injuries were physical injuries with live bullets and direct gas bombs, in addition to the destruction of the headquarters of two media institutions in the Gaza Strip.
The total number of physical attacks committed by the occupation army against journalists in the West Bank and Gaza was 88, constituting 59% of the total Israeli attacks, while four types of serious attacks (physical injuries, arrests, destruction of institutions and the use of journalists as human shields) reached 72% of all Israeli attacks monitored.
Regarding the Palestinian violations, there was a significant increase during the first half of 2019 compared with the same period of the previous year (increased by 67%). This was due to a large increase in the number of attacks monitored in the Gaza Strip, while a significant reduction in the number of violations in the West Bank has been observed.
A total of 27 Palestinian violations were monitored in the West Bank in the first half of 2019, with a total of 88 violations by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the same period.
The number of arrests and detentions topped the list of Palestinian violations, reaching 37 cases, noting that 16 journalists who were arrested and detained were tortured or ill-treated while in detention (15 of them in Gaza and one in the West Bank), Which is considered unprecedented for the Palestinians.
Despite the relative decline in the number of Israeli attacks compared to the first half of 2018, the number of Israeli attacks monitored in the first six months of the year 2019 still exceeds the average number of Israeli attacks in the past eight years.
The Israeli attacks were divided into 91 attacks in the West Bank including the occupied city of Jerusalem, and 59 attacks in the Gaza Strip. 55 of the total Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip were considered serious, because most injuries were physical injuries with live bullets and direct gas bombs, in addition to the destruction of the headquarters of two media institutions in the Gaza Strip.
The total number of physical attacks committed by the occupation army against journalists in the West Bank and Gaza was 88, constituting 59% of the total Israeli attacks, while four types of serious attacks (physical injuries, arrests, destruction of institutions and the use of journalists as human shields) reached 72% of all Israeli attacks monitored.
Regarding the Palestinian violations, there was a significant increase during the first half of 2019 compared with the same period of the previous year (increased by 67%). This was due to a large increase in the number of attacks monitored in the Gaza Strip, while a significant reduction in the number of violations in the West Bank has been observed.
A total of 27 Palestinian violations were monitored in the West Bank in the first half of 2019, with a total of 88 violations by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the same period.
The number of arrests and detentions topped the list of Palestinian violations, reaching 37 cases, noting that 16 journalists who were arrested and detained were tortured or ill-treated while in detention (15 of them in Gaza and one in the West Bank), Which is considered unprecedented for the Palestinians.
25 july 2019
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the Attorney General to open an investigation into death circumstances of Mohammed Mahmoud Sa’ed Baker (43), from Gaza City.Baker died in al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, at dawn today, 25 July 2019, after being transferred to the hospital from Taiba Rehabilitation Center, south of Gaza City, due to deterioration of his health condition the day before.
PCHR calls upon the Attorney General to publish the results to the public, as primary investigations indicate that the deceased suffered from a heart attack and high blood pressure.
According to Baker family’s statement to PCHR, at approximately 11:00 on Wednesday, 24 July 2019, Baker, who was sentenced to 3 years in prison in a criminal case, was transferred from Taiba Rehabilitation Center to al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah after his health condition deteriorated due to a heart attack. At approximately 03:30 on Thursday, 25 July 2019, doctors declared him dead.
On its official website, the Ministry of Interior declared the death of prisoner (M. B.) today in al-Aqsa Hospital after suffering from a heart attack. The Ministry added that the prisoner’s body will be referred to the Forensic Medicine Department to fulfill the legal proceedings.
According to the statement of the Forensic Medicine Department at al-Shifa’ Hospital to PCHR’s fieldworker, Baker suffered from a heart attack and pneumonia that caused his death.
PCHR emphasized that the Attorney General and the Palestinian Prison Service are both responsible for the life and integrity of the prisoners.
Thus, PCHR calls upon the Attorney General to open a serious investigation into the incident and publish the results to the public. PCHR also stresses the importance of holding the Public Prosecution Office accountable for their negligence, as this is not the first incident concerning a prisoner’s death while in their custody; yet, no precautionary measures whatsoever were taken.
PCHR calls upon the Attorney General and decision makers in the Gaza Strip to take serious action towards ending the deteriorating status of the detention and investigation facilities, ending use of torture and treating prisoners with dignity, including provision of adequate healthcare, as codified in the 1988 Reform and Rehabilitation Centers Law.
Public Document
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Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information, please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
PCHR calls upon the Attorney General to publish the results to the public, as primary investigations indicate that the deceased suffered from a heart attack and high blood pressure.
According to Baker family’s statement to PCHR, at approximately 11:00 on Wednesday, 24 July 2019, Baker, who was sentenced to 3 years in prison in a criminal case, was transferred from Taiba Rehabilitation Center to al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah after his health condition deteriorated due to a heart attack. At approximately 03:30 on Thursday, 25 July 2019, doctors declared him dead.
On its official website, the Ministry of Interior declared the death of prisoner (M. B.) today in al-Aqsa Hospital after suffering from a heart attack. The Ministry added that the prisoner’s body will be referred to the Forensic Medicine Department to fulfill the legal proceedings.
According to the statement of the Forensic Medicine Department at al-Shifa’ Hospital to PCHR’s fieldworker, Baker suffered from a heart attack and pneumonia that caused his death.
PCHR emphasized that the Attorney General and the Palestinian Prison Service are both responsible for the life and integrity of the prisoners.
Thus, PCHR calls upon the Attorney General to open a serious investigation into the incident and publish the results to the public. PCHR also stresses the importance of holding the Public Prosecution Office accountable for their negligence, as this is not the first incident concerning a prisoner’s death while in their custody; yet, no precautionary measures whatsoever were taken.
PCHR calls upon the Attorney General and decision makers in the Gaza Strip to take serious action towards ending the deteriorating status of the detention and investigation facilities, ending use of torture and treating prisoners with dignity, including provision of adequate healthcare, as codified in the 1988 Reform and Rehabilitation Centers Law.
Public Document
**************************************
Follow PCHR on Facebook and Twitter
For more information, please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
Gaza- Jamal ‘Abdel Nasser “al-Thalathini” Street – Al-Roya Building- Floor 12 , El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
22 july 2019
The Palestinian Authority (PA) preventive security apparatus has released political detainee Alaa Basheer, from Qalqilya, on bail following a court verdict in this regard.
The decision to release her came after she was jailed illegally for about 40 days.
Lawyer Dafer Sa’aida said the magistrate court in Qalqilya ordered the release of Basheer on bail of 6,000 Jordanian dinars.
The PA preventive security rearrested Alaa al-Basheer, a holy Qur’an teacher from Qalqilya, two days after releasing her on June 13. She had spent over one month in her first detention.
The preventive security has fabricated accusations against Basheer in order to justify her detention. She was accused of inciting sectarian strife, one of the claims usually used by the PA security agencies against political detainees.
The decision to release her came after she was jailed illegally for about 40 days.
Lawyer Dafer Sa’aida said the magistrate court in Qalqilya ordered the release of Basheer on bail of 6,000 Jordanian dinars.
The PA preventive security rearrested Alaa al-Basheer, a holy Qur’an teacher from Qalqilya, two days after releasing her on June 13. She had spent over one month in her first detention.
The preventive security has fabricated accusations against Basheer in order to justify her detention. She was accused of inciting sectarian strife, one of the claims usually used by the PA security agencies against political detainees.
