‘Watan ala Watar’ wins court case

Imad Farajin Ramallah – Sona Aldeak The Palestinian Supreme Court decided that General Prosecutor Ahmed Moghni’s decision to stop the broadcast of the TV series ‘Watan ala Watar’ (Country Hanging by a Thread) on the Palestinian satellite channel is administrative and not legally-binding. The appellant’s attorney, Saher Rifai, said that they won the appeal and the TV series can be aired upon his client’s request. Imad Farajin, actor and author of the political satire in question, told ‘Arabstoday’ that the court ruling is “a victory for the judiciary, the TV series, the audience, as well as to the freedom of opinion and thought, and to all intellectuals in search of freedom of expression and thought,” considering the verdict as a reply to all who attacked the series and supported the general prosecutor’s decision. Farajin explained in the interview that “the ball is now in the court of the Palestinian television,” believing that the decision to stop its broadcast on TV was a political one. He stated that he wishes to broadcast the series on Arab TV, and that there are underway negotiations with an Arab satellite channel. In addition, he plans to broadcast another series called ‘Baad al-Manaa’ (After the Ban). “The Palestinian TV has no weight to bring us back to it. Not to underestimate it, but we want to appear on an Arab satellite channel, in order to have a higher viewership,” Farajin said, adding that it would benefit them and help them progress and  gain more experience. Farajin stressed that stopping the show was a suppression of freedom, expressing his hope that they – the artists – would be given the required space of freedom of opinion, which is their lawful right. He pointed out that there are many virtual spaces on the internet through which he can reach Palestinians, saying that there are several ideas which he hopes all people would get the chance to see. It is worth mentioning that the general prosecutor issued the decision to withhold the broadcasting of the above mentioned TV series on state television, last Ramadan.