Israel releases Al Jazeera journalist detained for hours Freedom of the Press News
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Arab journalist Givara Budeiri Al Jazeera has been released after being arrested by Israeli police and protesting in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Israeli police attacked a Jerusalem correspondent on the Doha media network while he was arrested on Saturday and destroyed the equipment of cameraman Nabil Mazzawi Al Jazeera. Budeiria’s arrest was sharply condemned by freedom of the press and media watchdogs.
“They came from all over the place, I don’t know why, they kicked me against the wall,” Budeiri told Al Jazeera shortly after his release on Saturday.
“They kicked me in a very bad way … they kicked me from all over the place,” he said.
Budeiri was reporting on the sit-in on the 54th anniversary of Naksa, which is the “retreat,” a term used by Palestinians in 1967 to describe Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
Sheikh Jarrah has also been protesting in favor of Palestinian families who have been subjected to deportations for weeks to give way to Jewish settlers.
Israeli forces attack and arrest him @ajarabic‘s Jivara alBudeiri and the channel that broke the channel’s camera while covering a demonstration that marked Naksa’s 54th birthday #SheikhJarrah pic.twitter.com/TokxMDGBvR
– Rania Zabaneh (@RZabaneh) June 5, 2021
Budeiri has been working as a journalist at Al Jazeera since 2000. He was wearing a jacket marked “press” when he was arrested and had an Israeli Government Press Office (GPO) card.
However, he said he was “treated like a criminal” when he was taken to the police station and prevented from removing his heavy jacket or closing his eyes. He said police accused him of kicking a female soldier, passionately denying the accusation.
Budeiri said he was released on condition of going to Sheikh Jarrah for 15 days.
Dr. Mostefa Souag, Acting Director of Al Jazeera Media Network, strongly condemned arrest.
“The systematic goal of our journalists violates all international conventions. The violent actions of the Israeli occupation forces against Givara Budeiri and Nabil Mazzawi completely ignore the basic human rights of journalists, ”he said in a statement.
“The terror of silencing journalists has become a common activity as witnessed by Israeli authorities in recent weeks in Gaza and Jerusalem,” Souage added.
“Absolutely scary”
Earlier, Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting on the occupied East Jerusalem, said Buddha had been arrested for no reason and that he had tried to recover and show the press card issued by Israel after a police request.
“They were pushing, which kept trying to get a press card. And then the cameraman was trying to reach out to him, his camera shattered,” Abdel Hamid said.
“We spoke to several witnesses and they all said that there was no reason for that kind of tension and it was not clear why they decided to go exactly [after] Givara, while other journalists were doing what he was doing, ”he said.
Images obtained by Al Jazeera showed the moment Budei was arrested.
See Israeli occupation forces beat and arrest veteran journalist Givara Albudairi Aljazeera
There may be a ceasefire but Israel continues to commit crimes #Journalism Is Not a Crime
– Jamal Elshayyal Jamal El Din El Shayal (@JamalsNews) June 5, 2021
Israeli police also dispersed dozens of protesters who managed to reach the closed neighborhood.
Barbara Trionfi, of the International Press Institute, appeared surprised by the arrest.
“It’s totally horrible,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Over the last few weeks and months we have seen a number of attacks by Israeli forces on journalists and unfortunately this is not an isolated case,” Triumph added.
“This kind of behavior of Israeli forces is not entirely acceptable.”
Sabrina Bennoui, a spokeswoman for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), told Al Jazeera that the arrest was shocking and unacceptable.
“It is a clear violation of press freedom, as it was clear that this journalist was wearing a press vest, and there is a clear will on the part of the Israeli authorities to prevent journalists from doing their job and reporting on the ground.” he said.
On May 15, Israeli aid attack he destroyed a building Al Jazeera’s media offices and other outlets were on the Gaza Strip during the 11-day bombing of the coastal expanse.
Israeli forces are “violating” the rights of journalists
At least 14 Palestinian journalists have been arrested and placed under administrative detention by Israeli forces in recent weeks, according to Reporters Without Borders.
Administrative detention is a legal procedure that allows Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to be detained without charge or trial for renewable terms of up to six months.
Israeli authorities have used this procedure to make arrests in “secret evidence” for decades. Detainees are usually unaware of the allegations against them and do not defend them in court.
There were two Palestinian journalists – Zeina Halawani and Wahbe Mikkieh attacked and arrested What Israeli forces did last week in Sheikh Jarrah.
The couple remained in custody for five days before being released on bail and then placed under house arrest for a month.
Several Palestinian journalists with media cards have been banned from entering Sheikh Jarrah by Israeli police, who are demanding a GPO card.
Israel ranked 180th out of 180 in the RSF World Press Freedom Index for 2021.
“The [Israeli military] they often violate the rights of Palestinian journalists, especially when they are holding demonstrations … in the West Bank or on the Gaza Strip, ”RSF said.
In a report (PDF) published last year, the Palestinian Human Rights Center documented 98 attacks by journalists by Israeli forces on occupied Palestinian territories.
At least 40 people were wounded with various bullets, including “two who lost their sight in one eye,” the report says.
At least 14 were attacked with “evidence of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment,” while another 26 were arrested, he added.
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