'Palestinian' reporter forced into exile by the 'Palestinian Authority'
Qaisi said that he has been targeted because of a video he published with MEE last September which showed PA security forces beating Palestinians in Bethlehem during a protest against Israeli settler attacks on the Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem.
The video showed at least 10 security forces surrounding two teenage protesters who lay on the ground as officers kicked and beat them with batons.
The MEE footage was viewed over 60,000 times and it caused outrage as it spread across Arabic and English media outlets in the region.
“It was the first time Palestinians could see on camera the PA beating their own people,” Qaisi said.
Public anger at the beatings led to the PA forcing four senior officers into early retirement, including Deputy Commander of the Bethlehem Area Issam Nabhan and Deputy Director of Operations Shaher al-Qaisi.
Six lower ranking officers were sentenced to three months in prison and barred from promotion for one year.
PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said at the time that the security forces’ misconduct did “not reflect the policy of the Palestinian government or the Palestinian security forces”.
However, soon after, Qaisi said, the security forces approached him about the abuse he had captured on camera. Initially, they wanted him to work for the Palestinian intelligence agency, but Qaisi refused.
“After 10 days they started interrogating me,” he said. “They told me I had three options: be killed in a car accident, be found with guns in my home, or be accused of being an Israeli spy.”They'll stop behaving like this if only they get a 'Palestinian state'.... Right....
Labels: freedom of the press, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Authority corruption, Palestinian police
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:38 AM
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