Thursday, April 22, 2010

Palestinian Journalist persecuted for criticizing the PA


By Khalid Amayreh

"Muhannad Salahat, 32, is another Palestinian journalist victimized by the Palestinian Authority Mukhabarat or General Intelligence. Earlier this month, Salahat, who lives in Amman, Jordan, but has a home in the northern West Bank town of Nablus, had to spend 14 nightmarish days in the custody of the Palestinian Mukhabarat in Jericho where he was thoroughly abused for criticizing the PA, especially its so-called security coordination with Israel.

Following his release, Middle East Monitor had the chance to interview Salahat. The following is a verbatim translation of his testimony on the treatment he received during his detention in Jericho.....

On the same evening, and as I refused to terminate my hunger strike, They summoned me again and began a new spate of aggressive questioning on the nature of my work as a journalist and filmmaker and also on the nature of my work for the al-Jazeera network and the Emirate of Qatar. The interrogators concentrated on a newspaper report I had prepared in 2007 on the state of lawlessness and chaos in the West Bank and also Gaza following the Hamas' takeover. The report was still on the internet under the Arabic title "A little of what is happening in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." It was clear that they were disturbed by the report.....

Note: Salahat was rearrested on his way back to Amman on 18 April, apparently by the same people who had arrested him before."

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