Journalists, Media, and Human Rights Organizations strongly condemn the arrest of Palestinian journalist Haneen Qawareeq, a correspondent for Palestine Post and employee at Sada News, who was detained on Wednesday morning (May 7, 2025) by Israeli forces while on her way from Ramallah to Nablus to cover a media event.
Haneen, 23 years old, remains in custody at the Israeli police station in the «Ariel» settlement, according to the latest information from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society. She has not been formally charged, nor has she been allowed access to legal counsel at the time this statement was issued.
The arrest of Palestinian journalists and the restriction of journalistic work are violations of international law, particularly Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees freedom of expression and access to information. This arrest is part of a systematic pattern aimed at silencing free voices and obstructing the reporting of the truth from the ground.
We call on all media institutions, both local and international, to raise their voices and demand the immediate release of journalist Haneen Qawareeq, and to ensure her right to work without threat or intimidation. We also urge the international community to pressure the occupying power to stop targeting Palestinian journalists and to uphold freedom of the press in the occupied Palestinian territories.
It should be recalled that, since October 7, 2023, Palestinian journalists have been subjected to systematic attacks, including arrests and assassinations. The killing of 212 Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip has been documented, in an attempt to erase the Palestinian narrative that journalists courageously convey despite daily risks to their lives and freedoms.
