The Palestinian Authority decided to release five journalists on Monday after arresting them last week, their lawyer says, a day after political rivals Hamas released a PA-linked reporter.
The five, including from Hamas-linked media, had been arrested in the occupied West Bank on accusations of “leaking sensitive information to enemy groups.”
Three of the five were freed earlier Monday, with the others expected to be released later in the day, the lawyer says.
“The relevant courts decided to free five journalists and all journalists are supposed to be released,” Alaa Freijat, lawyer for the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, tells AFP.
They were held under the PA’s new electronic crimes law, which has been criticized by rights groups who say it restricts criticism of officials on social and traditional media, with the potential for jail sentences.
— AFP
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Monday, August 14, 2017
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