In its letter to the Palestinian president, the New York-based organization said that in the past six months alone there have been two television stations closed and at least eight individuals detained because of reporting and commentary critical of Palestinian Authority actions. It now stands poised to repeat this blatant manipulation in the parliamentary vote.
Every arrest sends a message, and that message is heard.
In most cases the arrests and closures take place without warrants or written orders from the relevant agencies. In at least one case, police told a human rights activist that President Arafat had ordered his arrest and interrogation after learning of an article he had written criticizing the Palestinian Authority's recent crackdown on human rights organizations. The text of the letter follows. Your Excellency, Human Rights Watch is deeply disturbed by the Palestinian Authority's repeated attempts to intimidate and silence journalists and commentators critical of P.A. policies, including by arbitrarily arresting or summoning individuals for interrogation and by closing down newspapers, television stations, and other media outlets. In a press release announcing the journalists' release Police Chief Brig.