British journalist detained by Hamas in Gaza
Freelance filmmaker Paul Martin taken into custody at trial of Palestinian militant charged with revealing secrets.
By News Agencies Tags: Hamas Gaza Israel newsHamas security forces arrested a British man in Gaza on Sunday, British and Hamas officials said.
Authorities in Gaza arrested British filmmaker Paul Martin Sunday as he arrived to testify at the trial of a militant accused of giving information to "hostile parties," Palestinian security officials said.
Martin, described as a freelance documentary filmmaker, was handcuffed and taken into custody for 15 days as he arrived at the Gaza City courthouse where the trial was taking place.
"We are urgently looking into the matter and following up with the responsible people so we can sort this matter out on the consular level," said Fadi Adeeb, a spokesman for the British consulate in Jerusalem.
Martin had several weeks ago interviewed a Palestinian militant for an item which aired on a foreign television station.
Hamas, which administers the Gaza Strip, charged that during the interview the militant had revealed secrets harmful to "Palestinian security," and placed him on trial.
A judge ordered the Martin to be taken into custody and held for two weeks, said the spokesman of the Abu Rish Brigades, who only gave his nom de guerre, Abu Ahmed.
Hamas police spokesman Ehab Ghussein said Hamas security forces have obtained confessions that Martin violated Palestinian law and the security of the state. He did not explain further.
Martin is reportedly being held in Gaza's central prison.
Hamas is eager to improve its image in the West and has generally not interfered with the work of foreign journalists since seizing control of Gaza in 2007.
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hows that for freedom of the press, freedom of information...you guys gonna file some sort of petition? maybe write to codepink to protest? Where's galloway? LOLOLOL
Who are you kidding on this talkback? You really think any of the so called `eye witnesses` that were uses to `prove` Israeli so called `war crimes` would dare testify against Hamas and for IDF if this was the truth? Of course for you guys, even if Hamas landed a bomb on your head you would still `prove` it is Israel.
He wasn't detained, he was arrested. To say he was "detained" makes it sound like he was required to stay for questioning. He was handcuffed and held for two weeks. That's very different than being detained. Also, Hamas doesn't "administer" Gaza, it controls it. To say they administer Gaza makes it sound like they do so in an official capacity recognied by the PA governing body. Hamas forcibly took control of Gaza from the PA and are not the official government of the land. As I've said before, Gaza is not a prison with Israel as the warden, it's a hostage crisis with Hamas as the hostage-takers and the people of Gaza as the hostages.
- /at least some of them. they should beware of actually travelling to gaza, which is a volatile & dangerous place anyway. instead they should use any opportunity they get to talk to hamas officials /commanders (as high up the ladder as possible), & interview them on camera, in order to expose in a thoroughly merciless fashion what the ideology & strategy behind the movement really are. everybody else in the world gets this treatment while hamas officials mostly get the silk gloves approach. there are actually very few examples, as far as televised interviews go, where the journalist asking questions has shown the necessary courage to 'nail' a hamas official to the wall, the way they do it (without any qualms) w/almost everybody else. this is the case in spite of the fact that it's really not that difficult to expose this group as they don't really make an effort to hide the truth if only a little hard pressed w/the right kind of questions.
We do not need to attack British citizens or travlers. The problem is most people are every day people who never notice but simple life experience. They get up go to work go home go to bed the wife is in curlers and house shoes the kids have homework she puts on patty cake stuff to look younger to go to work he goes to work they save for vacation the kids go to college or get a job grandbabies and they are happy with tv and food. Simple life. 12 different life patterns. The man can tell your story. Don't attack the citizens. In Roman times there were 700 years of peace with intelligence. Each person of a background doesnt know anothers culture. The Christians believe if you dont know about Christ before you die you go to hell. The Muslims believe in a stricter life and quit forcing it on them. The people who think they are but need to change need both God and Allah and we need to save the children our future generations. We need to stop the women from being hurt. Rankoo-Karoon