Journalist union rises against Hamas

Occupational Safety centre voices concerns Ramallah - Emtyaz al Mograbi The Occupational Safety Centre expressed its concern about the internal security body of Hamas in Gaza continuing to pursue and target journalists and media institutions in Gaza Strip. The centre, which belongs to the Palestinian journalist union, addressed the local, Arab and international human rights associations including the media unions, syndicates and institutions demanding that they pressure Hamas, its MPs and leaders to stop the policy they adopt of suppressing media freedom in Gaza. It showed that the last of these violations included imposing security restriction on the journalists in their movements and travels abroad. The centre addressed the local, Arab and international media institutions asking them to immediately stop any cooperation with these groups of Hamas media office, which call itself journalist syndicate in Gaza. It stated that about 270 violations and crimes were registered to be applied by Hamas and its armed groups against journalists and media institutions since 2007 and till mid 2012, which needs urgent action to stop the policies of Hamas and its different bodies against journalists and media institutions in Gaza.