01 April 2013 - orsam

In this Saturday, 30 March, 2013 photo,
Palestinian journalist Mamdooh
Hamamreh adjusts his glasses during an
interview with the Associated Press in the
West Bank village of Hussan, near
Bethlehem. Last week, an appeals court in
the West Bank upheld a one-year prison
term for Hamamreh for "defaming"
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas in a Facebook post. (AP
Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)
In this Saturday, 30 March, 2013 photo,
Palestinian journalist Mamdooh
Hamamreh adjusts his glasses during an
interview with the Associated Press in the
West Bank village of Hussan, near
Bethlehem. Last week, an appeals court in
the West Bank upheld a one-year prison
term for Hamamreh for “defaming”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud
Abbas in a Facebook post. (AP
Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)
the president is keen on protecting
freedom of expression.”
Hamamreh said he believes the main
point was to deter him and others from
speaking out, and that he will stay clear of
any potential trouble in his work.
“I now censor myself regarding anything I
say,” the 29-year-old said Saturday,
surrounded by well-wishers at his family
home in the village of Hussan, near
Bethlehem. “It’s the one thing they (the
authorities) succeeded in doing, which is
intimidation.”
On the same day as Hamamreh’s verdict,
another court in the northern town of
Salfit sentenced a blogger, Anas Ismail, to
six months for “liking” three Facebook
posts critical of the Ministry of
Telecommunications and the minister
himself.
Nimer Hamad, an Abbas adviser, said the
Palestinian leader hadn’t pushed for
Hamamreh to be prosecuted. “This young
man did not deserve such a sentence,”
Hamad said. “The freedom and right of
expression is guaranteed to all people and
Ismail, 30, said he was jailed for 17 days of
interrogation in February and convicted
and sentenced Thursday for “insulting a
minister.” The judge allowed him to
appeal immediately, meaning he is staying
out of prison for now.
Sayfa 25