NEW YORK — The
Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ) revealed its 2023 prison census, highlighting that the number of jailed
journalists worldwide is near a record high, with Israeli occupation
imprisonments spiking.
اضافة اعلان
According to the report, the
Israeli occupation appeared
several times on CPJ’s annual census; however, it added that this is the
highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since CPJ began
documenting arrests in 1992. For the first time since then, Israel ranked among
the top six offenders.
The report added that all those known to be held by Israel
as of CPJ’s December 1 census date were arrested in the Palestinian territory
of the occupied West Bank after the start of
Israel’s war on Gaza on
October 7.
It noted that most are being held in administrative detention, which allows
Israeli authorities to hold detainees without charges because they suspect the
detainee of planning to commit a future offense.
Furthermore, CPJ mentioned that the closed nature of
Israel’s offenses made it difficult for CPJ researchers to learn about any
accusations facing the journalists. However, several families mentioned to CPJ
that they believed their loved ones were jailed for social media postings.
In a deep dive of its report, CPJ highlighted Alaa
Al-Rimawi, who told the organization that since
Israel’s war on Gaza, he was
covering developments for J-Media, a West Bank-based news agency he directs, as
well as on TikTok and Facebook. However, it was short-lived; less than two
weeks after the war, Israel banned J-Media on security grounds and arrested
three other J-Media employees, including Rimawi.
He said, “As you know, the occupation, in times of its
war on Gaza, now wants the journalistic and media voice to be absent,” al-Rimawi
said to his more than 229,000 TikTok followers before he reported to prison. “I
apologize, I apologize because I may not be with you in this coverage and
convey your pain, wounds, and victory, with God’s help.”
The report also added that journalists make up a small
number of the thousands of Palestinians who have been arrested in massive
sweeps since October 7. The report said the occupation is arresting former
prisoners, political leaders, activists, and university students.
The UN Human Rights Office highlighted in a report on
December 1 that more than 3,000 Palestinians had been arrested before October
7. It added that approximately 5,000 Palestinians were in detention.
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