Israeli authorities urged to release Palestinian cartoonist

In Arabic (بالعربية) Reporters Without Borders condemns Palestinian cartoonist Mohamed Sabaaneh’s arbitrary arrest by Israeli authorities on his return from Jordan on 16 February and his continuing detention. An Israeli military court decided yesterday to hold him for another nine days. The press freedom organization calls on the Israeli authorities to publicly say what he is charged with and to let him see a lawyer. A cartoonist with the daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sabaaneh is also head of public relations at the Arab American University in Jenin. He was arrested at the Allenby Bridge checkpoint as he returned to the West Bank with university colleagues from a four-day visit to Jordan. After his arrest, Sabaaneh was transferred to the Jalameh detention centre (Kishon prison, north of Tel Aviv) where he is currently being interrogated. At no point has been allowed access to a lawyer. Photo: Fadi Arori