NAAJA protests detention of Bethlehem based Maan News Agency editor

The National Arab American Journalists Association, which is partnered with the Society of Professional Journalists and the Asian American Journalists Association, tonight issued a protest to the Government of Israel demanding the release of journalist Jared Malsin.

Malsin was detained and interrogated for more than 8 hours and continues to be in custody on charges of criticizing Israel in articles and columns published by the Ma’an News Agency based in Bethlehem, Palestine.

“Journalism freedoms are essential to Democracy and building of peace. Any action to censor or restrict or threaten or intimidate journalists for the sole ‘crime’ of expressing an opinion or covering stories frowned on by the occupation government is a violation not only of international law but a violation of Israel’s claim to be Democratic and fair,” said Ray Hanania, NAAJA coordinator based in Chicago.

“NAAJA is not only calling on Israel to immediately release Jaslin, but also urging Israeli journalists who claim to be objective and concerned about free speech, Democracy and the accuracy in reporting to also publicly protest the arrest.”

Hanania, a Chicago morning radio host and syndicated opinion columnist whose commentary appears in publications such as the Arab News, the Jerusalem Post and in many newspapers across the United States, said that NAAJA has issued formal letters to Israel’s embassy in Washington D.C., to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,  and to Israel’s Ministry of Information in Jerusalem.

“When the government of Israel detains journalists on trumped up charges and on censorship, then Israel is basically admitting that they do abuse citizen rights, they do violate international law and they do not respect the fundamental basics that will one day usher in an era of peace,” Hanania said.

NAAJA calls on journalists around the world to speak out against this detention and demand Jared Malsin’s immediate release.

NAAJA has more than 250 members in the United States. The web page is www.NAAJA-US.com.

Bloggers held in Egypt without charges

COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA Phone: (212) 465 1004 Fax: (212) 465 9568 Web: www.cpj.org E-Mail: media@cpj.org
Contacts:

Mohamed Abdel Dayem, program coordinator
Phone: (212) 465-1004, x103; E-mail: m.abdel.dayem@cpj.org

Mariwan Hama-Saeed, research associate
Phone: (212) 465-1004, x104; E-mail: mariwan@cpj.org

Bloggers held in Egypt without charge

New York, July 24, 2009—The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Egyptian authorities today to explain why they have detained three bloggers this week without charge.

Islamist blogger Abdel Rahman Ayyash, who writes for Al-Ghareeb (The Stranger), was arrested at the Cairo airport on Tuesday on his return from Turkey where he attended a youth conference, according to multiple news reports. Muslim Brotherhood member Magdi Saad, who used to blog at Yalla Mesh Mohem (Who Cares), was also arrested at the airport the same night after returning from a business trip, according to local news reports. Another Islamist blogger, Ahmad Abu Khalil, who blogs at Bayarek (The Lanterns), was arrested when security forces raided his home at dawn on Wednesday, according to local news reports.

On Thursday, Ayyash was transferred into the custody of State Security Police in the city of Mansoura, where he lives, while Saad was taken to State Security Police headquarters in Cairo, Daily News Egypt reported. Abu Khalil is being held at an unknown location.

“We are concerned about the well-being of these bloggers,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Mohamed Abdel Dayem. “We call on the authorities to explain why Abdel Rahman Ayyash, Magdi Saad, and Ahmad Abu Khalil are being detained. These arrests are but the latest in an ongoing attempt to silence online journalism in Egypt.”

Wael Abbas, a prominent blogger who writes at al-Wa’i al-Masri (Egyptian Conscience), was held for several hours at the airport when he was returning from Sweden on June 30, the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) reported. ANHRI said that the blogger’s laptop was confiscated and has not been returned since.

In March, CPJ wrote a letter to President Hosni Mubarak to protest Egypt’s campaign of harassment and prosecutions of bloggers. Egypt is among the worst places in the world to be a blogger‎, according to CPJ's special report, "10 Worst Countries to be a Blogger." The report found that Egyptian authorities regularly monitor Web sites and detain critical blogggers.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group, has been officially banned since 1954.


The Committee to Protect Journalists is a New York-based, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom around the world.

URL: