09.05.09 - 09:04
Jerusalem / Maisa Abu Ghazaleh - The Office of the Adviser to the Prime Minister for Jerusalem Affairs on Friday evening announced the launch of an international campaign of solidarity with the journalist Khader Shaheen.
The host of "Good Morning" on the Voice of Palestine and an Al Ahlam correspondent, along with his colleague Mohamed Sarhan, is being subjected to home confinement for three months.
The journalists were arrested during the major onslaught on the Gaza Strip for reporting on the movement of Israeli forces in late December and early January.
A statement was issued by an office of the Jesuit Santa Clara University in California which is overseeing the campaign. It notes deep concern over the repercussions of imprisoning Shaheen and Sarhan, and the Israeli attempt to justify the violation.
The statement added that the solidarity campaign will go to international human rights organizations, in addition to media outlets.
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad’s advisor on Jerusalem Affairs, Hatem Abdel Qader, has demanded access to the files of the case and trial, asking that the court take a clear position as it will gravely affect the freedom of the press in Palestine.
