CPJ Calls On United Nations To Investigate Israel’s Arbitrary Detention Of Palestinian Journalists

New York, March 25, 2024—Israel is utilizing administrative detention to detain a record number of Palestinian journalists without charge during the Israel-Gaza war, according to an urgent appeal submitted by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on March 25, 2024. The submission calls on the Working Group to investigate the cases of journalists Moath Amarneh, Mohammad Badr, and Ameer Abu Iram, all of whom have been detained without charge by Israel after the start of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7, 2023. Under administrative detention, a military commander may detain an individual without charge, typically for six months, on the grounds of preventing them from committing a future offense. Detention can be extended an unlimited number of times. Israel has 60 days to respond to the submission before the Working Group will issue a ruling. To date, the Working Group has found administrative detention unlawful in Israel in at least three cases. “The alarming use of administrative detention by Israeli authorities amid the Israel-Gaza war represents the silencing of dissenting voices, most notably journalists,” said CPJ Director of Advocacy and Communications Gypsy Guillén Kaiser. “The incidence of administrative detention is a...