130 Palestinians Detained Over Social Media Activities

Al-Quds, 11 Rabi’ul Akhir 1437/21 January 2016 (MINA) – The Palestinian Detainees and Ex-detainees Committee has reported that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested during 2015 nearly 130 Palestinians for social media activities.

About 27 of the detained Palestinians faced “incitement charges”, while many others were held in administrative detention for different periods of time, the committee explained in a statement on Wednesday (20/1), The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Most of the mentioned arrests were carried out in occupied Jerusalem, it pointed out, saying that Israel has recently formed a cyber unit for the prosecution of Palestinian social media activists.

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Head of the committee Amjad Abu Assab said that the first group of Palestinian social media activists was arrested in occupied Jerusalem on Dec. 15, 2014 after being charged with incitement over Facebook posts.

The activists were sentenced on Wednesday for 17 months imprisonment, Abu Assab said.

Over the past year, 40 Jerusalemites were detained for Facebook posts for different periods of time while house arrest was imposed on several others after being prevented from using smartphones and their Facebook accounts.

Israeli repressive measures have partially succeeded in gagging Palestinian voices, especially after the arrest of some girls over their Facebook posts, Abu Assab underlined.

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On the other hand, he continued, Israeli authorities turned a blind eye to the extremist settlers’ social media incitement and threats against Palestinians.(T/P008/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)