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December 18, 1998
His Excellency Yasser Arafat
President
Palestinian National Authority
Gaza City, Gaza
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-governmental organization of
journalists dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide, is writing to
strongly condemn the Palestinian National Authority's (PNA) closure today of six
television and radio stations in the West Bank.
On December 18, Palestinian police ordered six private television and radio
stations in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem to suspend
broadcasting until further notice. The move has been widely interpreted as an
attempt by authorities to silence news coverage pertaining to the current U.S.
military attack on Iraq, now in its third day.
Police verbally informed three Bethlehem-based television stations--Al-Roa' TV,
Al-Mahid TV, and Bethlehem TV--that they must suspend all broadcasts immediately.
According to journalists, police failed to provide a written order or reason for
the suspensions. Three stations in Ramallah--Al-Watan TV, Nasr TV, and the radio
station Voice of Love and Peace--were also forced off the air under similar
circumstances. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the decision to close the six
stations followed a decision from the High Security Council, which Your
Excellency heads.
Broadcasters believe that the closures have come in direct response to their
coverage in recent days of the US military strikes, including their coverage of
anti-U.S. sentiment and expressions of sympathy with Iraq from Palestinians.
According to the Associated Press (AP) "Al-Watan TV had broadcast pro-Iraqi
interviews; Al-Nasr TV had broadcast nationalist music; and the Voice of Peace
had devoted its broadcasts on Thursday to a popular nationalist Iraqi singer."
Al-Roa' TV yesterday aired a live panel discussion which heavily criticized U.S.
President Bill Clinton for the military strikes.
Today's incidents are reminiscent of restrictions imposed on broadcasters last
February when the Ministry of Information, in a directive issued to the
Palestinian media on February 15, banned all broadcasting of opinion and
analysis about the standoff between United Nations weapons inspectors and Iraq.
Journalists and observers at the time interpreted the move as an attempt by the
PNA to curtail media coverage of pro-Iraqi sentiment among Palestinians in the
West Bank and Gaza. Authorities said that the purpose of the ban was to
safeguard "higher Palestinian national interests and for the sake of protecting
Palestinian security." One day after its imposition, more than 100 police
surrounded the offices of Al-Roa' and forced the station to suspend
broadcasting. Al-Roa' had earlier broadcast news about pro-Iraqi demonstrations
in the West Bank and had aired a program where viewers were able to phone in to
express solidarity with Iraq. On February 18, Palestinian police chief Ghazi
Jebali asked television and radio stations to sign a pledge that they would
refrain from broadcasting "any news or footage of mass demonstrations or any
other sensitive materials," or face closure.
In a separate incident today, authorities from the PNA's Anti-Crime Unit ordered
the closure of the Associated Press'(AP) Gaza bureau after informing local
staffers of the decision. According to AP, no explanation has been provided for
the closure.
The Committee to Protect Journalists views the actions taken by the PNA against
the media as attempts to silence independent journalism in flagrant violation of
the right to free expression, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights. Article 19 guarantees the right of journalists and
individuals to "seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any
media and regardless of frontiers."
We respectfully urge Your Excellency to immediately reverse the closures imposed
on El-Watan TV, Nasr TV, Roa' TV, Voice of Love and Peace, Al-Mahid TV,
Bethlehem TV, and the Associated Press. We further ask that you ensure the
ability of journalists to report news and opinion freely, without reprisal.
Thank you for your attention to these important matters. We look forward to a
reply at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
Join CPJ in Protesting Attacks on the Press in Palestine
Send a letter to:
His Excellency Yasser Arafat
President
Palestinian National Authority
Gaza City, Gaza
VIA FAX: 972 7 2873 744
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