JENIN NEWSPAPER FOLLOW-UP
The last issue of the Monitor
included a detailed article on the fate of 'Jenin' newspaper. It was
closed by the district prosecutor, who also arrested the publisher, Imad
Abu-Zahra. All this despite the fact that Abu-Zahra had secured all the
necessary permits.
On February 3, the district prosecutor Ossama Al-Killani
had a 'clarification' published in the daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadid newspaper,
in which he claimed that he never actually closed the newspaper. He
explained that he was only 'temporarily' closing the publication until
Abu-Zahra would present the appropriate licenses. As reported in Monitor
#1, Legislative Council Member Turkman was present when license from the
Information Ministry was presented for the second time to Al-Killani.
No explanation was given for the motivation
behind the original harassment of Abu-Zahra.
Jenin Residents Enthusiastic
Hundreds of copies of the Monitor were
distributed in Jenin, leading to many expressions of support from local
citizens, including many wearing the uniforms of the security forces. In
this way the support for an independent press could be measured, albeit in
a slightly unscientific way.
Jenin's printer is refusing to print the
newspaper, because a policeman told him that it is against the law - and
showed him an official document to prove it. This fact, and the losses
incurred by Abu-Zahra as a result of his victimization at the hands of Al-Killani,
have prevented the newspaper from appearing again.
The PHRMG will try to collect $1000 to assist
Abu-Zahra to publish his newspaper again. Jenin is a non-political, local
publication focusing on civic affairs, sports, advertising, and other
items of local interest. It is not affiliated with any political or
religious group. We are asking our readers to contribute money to ensure
that our efforts were not in vain. The publication of one subsidized issue
will probably enable Abu-Zahra to continue on his own.
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