The Journalists Support Committee strongly condemns the arrest of prominent Palestinian journalist Dr. Nasser Laham, director of the Al-Mayadeen office in the occupied Palestinian territories, by the Israeli occupation authorities. This arrest constitutes a flagrant and dangerous violation of press freedom and the fundamental right to report the truth.

According to the Al-Mayadeen media network, Israeli forces raided Dr. Laham’s home at dawn today, Monday, in a violent and aggressive manner. Officers from the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) stormed his residence, ransacked its contents, and deliberately damaged and confiscated his personal and family belongings, including his electronic devices and phones.

Alarmingly, the occupation authorities have extended Dr. Laham’s detention until next Thursday and transferred him to the Ofer military court, west of Ramallah.

The Journalists Support Committee considers this arrest a new crime added to the growing record of Israeli violations against journalists and media institutions in Palestine. These violations include killings, direct targeting, harassment, raiding media offices, and prosecuting journalists both in the field and legally. All of this points to a systematic policy aimed at silencing independent media and obscuring the crimes committed against the Palestinian people.

The Committee stresses that this act is a clear and blatant violation of international conventions, particularly:

• Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees everyone the right to “freedom of opinion and expression,” including “the right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas.”

• Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects freedom of expression and press freedom, regardless of national borders.

• Article 79 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (1977), which grants special protection to journalists during armed conflicts and emphasizes the obligation to treat them as civilians unless they take a direct part in hostilities.

• UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015), which stresses the need to protect journalists during conflict and urges member states to take effective measures to ensure their safety and to hold violators accountable.

The arrest of Dr. Nasser Laham — one of the most prominent media voices documenting the crimes of the Israeli occupation — represents a direct assault on press freedom and a serious threat to anyone seeking to expose Israeli violations.

In light of the above, the Journalists Support Committee calls for:

1. The immediate and unconditional release of journalist Nasser Laham and all detained journalists in Israeli prisons.

2. Urgent action by the United Nations, its Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, and international press freedom organizations to pressure Israel to comply with its international obligations.

3. The launch of an independent international investigation into the full range of violations committed by the occupation authorities against Palestinian journalists, in preparation for holding perpetrators accountable before international courts.

4. An end to the culture of impunity that allows continued attacks on journalists without accountability.

Finally, the Committee reminds the international community that continued silence in the face of these crimes and violations constitutes indirect complicity and encourages the occupation to escalate its assaults against the Palestinian people in general, and against media professionals in particular.

Journalists Support Committee

Geneva – Beirut

7 July 2025