Last update - 00:00 17/04/2007
Reporters' group condemns Gaza police action against protesters
By The Associated Press
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders group Tuesday condemned the Palestinian police action against a crowd of journalists demonstrating in the Gaza Srip in support of a kidnapped British Broadcasting Corp. correspondent.
"We are outraged by this violence against journalists," the group said. "With journalists already having to endure so much in the Palestinian territories, it is unacceptable that violence was used when all they wanted was to be heard by the authorities."
Security guards at the Palestinian parliament on Tuesday scuffled with the crowd of journalists who were demonstrating in support of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston's release, pushing back reporters and beating two of them with rifle butts.
About 200 journalists had gathered outside the building, seeking information about Johnston. When journalists tried to enter parliament to talk to lawmakers about the case, the guards violently pushed them back and barred them from entering.
Johnston, 44, was abducted by gunmen in Gaza City on March 12 and has not been seen or heard from since then.
On Sunday, a previously unknown group, The Brigades of Tawheed and Jihad, said it had killed Johnston to support demands for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. But Palestinian officials have said they could not confirm the claim.
At Tuesday's protest, the journalists were hoping to press lawmakers for more information following the claim.
"We came to ask those lawmakers about the facts and the truth on the fate of our kidnapped colleague," said Shohdy al-Kashef, an activist in the local journalists' union.
"It's more than a month right now and we are concerned for Alan's life after the statement released two days ago. We came peacefully, but we are being assaulted now."
A planned parliamentary session went on as scheduled, although journalists boycotted the session. The union declared an open-ended boycott of the legislature and the new interior minister, who oversees security issues, because of the assault on the peaceful demonstration.
In an appeal to the kidnappers Tuesday, families of Palestinians held in Israeli jails used a national day in solidarity with the prisoners to call for Johnston's immediate release.
"We reject the claim by any group that they may commit criminal and un-national acts in the name of the Palestinian and Arab prisoners," they said a statement.