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Monday, July 16, 2012

Journalist imprisoned, tortured by Hamas. Yawn.

Palestine Press reports about Mohamed Nimer Guenith , a freelance journalist in Gaza, who was abducted, imprisoned and tortured by Hamas.

According to Guenith, ge was arrested on June 10 after his home was raided and his computer confiscated. He was asked about articles he had written that were critical of Hamas (specifically about the fuel shortage,) as well as for details on who his journalist friends were. He was beaten, punched and slapped, and forced to sleep on the ground.

The next day, were subjected to investigate again and asked him about those critical of Hamas, and raises the issue of lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip, next to the same questions about his friends in the journalists 'union and his friends journalists in Egypt, and journalists who work for the Fatah movement, and during his interrogation was colleague, the journalist was beaten with' punched and slapped, forced to the wall strongly ', was detained for 12 days in a cell about a meter and a half, including a toilet, sleeps on the ground in some nights.

The interrogators asked him if he was biased against Hamas because they killed his brother. They beat his feet and shaved his head, and accused him of being a Fatah journalist who is undermining the unity between Hamas and Fatah, a charge he denied.

After 15 days he was released. He then made a statement that it is clear that there is a systematic policy practiced by Hamas in the Gaza Strip with the aim of gagging the media by subjecting journalists to arrest, torture and detention in harsh conditions.

As far as I can tell, the UN Human Rights Council didn't bring up the issue of Hamas repression of freedoms when they visited Gaza this weekend. Perhaps it is outside of the UNHRC's mission statement to accuse anyone besides Israel of abuses.