The Journalists Syndicate said that it is following up on the procedures initiated by the prosecution in Gaza against colleague Muhammad Awad, based on a complaint from a company that rejected the Syndicate’s efforts to discuss the case and resolve the dispute between it and fellow journalist Awad.
According to the testimony of colleague Muhammad Awad, after the prosecution closed the complaint against him, the company went to the technical office of the Public Prosecutor with a complaint in order to issue a decision to arrest him.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirmed in a statement that procedures had been initiated against a journalist based on a publishing case in which he was accused, without informing the Syndicate and despite its attempt to find out the details of the case.
The union expressed its regret for what the company is doing, especially since its director was asked to file a complaint against colleague Awad to follow up with the union professionally, which was met with insistence on filing his complaint with the police. The union contacted the company director in order to discuss the issue, but its request was rejected.
The Journalists Syndicate confirmed that, based on its ethical responsibility, the Professional Ethics Committee was assigned to follow up on the case professionally, while the Legal Committee and the Freedoms Committee are responsible for following up on any measures taken against our colleague Awad. The Journalists Syndicate warns against taking any measures against colleague Awad before the Professional Ethics Committee takes its position on the case.
The Journalists Syndicate confirmed that it will stand strongly in the face of any arrest against our colleague Awad without a judicial ruling that has exhausted all judicial procedures, stressing that it will take the necessary measures to stand by our colleague Awad.
The world of the homeland
For its part, the Dunya Al Watan Foundation strongly denounced the prosecution of its correspondent in Gaza City, fellow journalist, Muhammad Awad, and considers this prosecution to be a restriction of the role of journalists in the field of accountability and enhancing transparency within society.
Dunya Al Watan saw that the harassment and persecution of journalists based on complaints submitted to the Public Prosecution and the police agencies constitute a blatant violation of the freedom of opinion and expression stipulated in Article (19) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article (19) of the Amended Palestinian Basic Law of 2005.
It considered the threat of arrest and imprisonment of journalists, based on false allegations, to represent an attack on the freedom of journalistic work in Palestine, and called on the Attorney General of Gaza, Counselor Muhammad al-Nahhal, to cancel any summons or arrest warrants against fellow journalist Muhammad Awad.
Dunya Al Watan stressed the right of journalists to practice their journalistic work, without restriction or prosecution. It calls for following up on complaints submitted against journalists within the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, as it is the professional and union reference for Palestinian journalists.
Dunya Al Watan also affirmed its commitment to the decisions of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, and calls on all relevant government agencies not to take any measures until the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate finishes following up on the case
Source: Maan News Agency
