PA courts remand Palestinian journalist by 24 hours
Ramallah (QNN) – The Palestinian Public Prosecutor today remanded Palestinian journalist Ayman Qawariq in custody for 24 more hours, under the pretext of inciting against Palestinian leaders on Facebook.
Qawariq, a resident of the West Bank village of Beita, was arrested yesterday by the Palestinian Preventive Security after publishing a post on Facebook which criticized the way the Palestinian Authority has dealt with the US peace deal, known as the “Deal of the Century”, said Feras Karaja, Qawariq’s attorney.
The West Bank-based Tayakkun Initiative said the arrest of journalist Qawariq, one of its main advocates, was a result of the recently enacted Decree Law on Cybercrimes, which allows the detention of journalists under the umbrella principle of “incitement”, without setting clear definitions to what is considered incitement and what is not.
Meanwhile, al-Haqq rights group called for the immediate release of Mr. Qawariq, and called on the Palestinian Authority to stop prosecuting journalists and human rights advocates for practicing their freedom of opinion and expression.
