Republished September 05, 2017 - 9:11 AM
Original Publication Date September 04, 2017 - 11:41 AM
JERUSALEM - In a story Sept. 4 about a Palestinian crackdown, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Palestinian security forces had arrested an activist who called on President Mahmoud Abbas to resign. The activist criticized the arrest of a journalist who called on the president to resign, but did not himself call for the president's resignation.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Palestinian activist arrested for defending Abbas critic
Palestinian security forces have detained a prominent activist after he criticized the arrest of a journalist who called for President Mahmoud Abbas to resign
Palestinian security forces have detained a prominent activist who criticized the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
A lawyer representing Issa Amro, a human rights activist from the West Bank city of Hebron, says his client was arrested Monday after posting his comments on Facebook. In the comments, Amro criticized the arrest of journalist Ayman Qawasmi.
Qawasmi was arrested on Sunday after writing that Abbas should resign for "failing to protect the Palestinian people." Qawasmi's radio station was closed last week by the Israeli military for alleged incitement to violence.
The arrests are the latest in recent crackdown on journalists by the Palestinian Authority.
Amnesty International calls Amro's arrest "a shameless attack on freedom of expression."
News from © The Associated Press, 2017