Al Jazeera Ban Must Be Lifted, Rights Experts Urge Palestinian Authority
January 13, 2025
Ramallah, Occupied Palestinian Territories – Eight United Nations human rights experts have issued a joint statement calling on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to immediately lift its ban on the Al Jazeera Media Network. The ban, imposed on August 22, 2022, was widely seen as a crackdown on media freedom.
“The ban on Al Jazeera is a serious violation of freedom of expression and the right to information,” the experts said. “It is essential for the Palestinian Authority to respect the media’s role in scrutinizing government actions and informing the public.”
The experts noted that the PA had not provided any credible justification for the ban, and that it appeared to be politically motivated. “The ban has coincided with a broader crackdown on dissent and criticism in the Palestinian territories,” they said. “It is clear that the PA is using the ban to silence critical voices.”
The experts urged the PA to immediately lift the ban on Al Jazeera and to respect freedom of expression and the right to information. They also called on the international community to press the PA to comply with its human rights obligations.
Al Jazeera is a Qatar-based news organization that has been critical of the PA’s handling of various issues, including corruption, human rights abuses, and the peace process. The PA has accused Al Jazeera of being biased against it and of promoting Hamas, an Islamist militant group that governs the Gaza Strip.
The ban on Al Jazeera has been condemned by international human rights groups, journalists, and press freedom advocates. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called the ban a “shameful attempt to stifle independent journalism.”
The PA has defended the ban, saying that it is necessary to protect national security and public order. However, the experts said that the PA had not provided any evidence to support these claims.
The experts who signed the statement are:
- Agnès Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
- Karima Bennoune, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
- Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression
- David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Miriam Estrada-Castillo, Special Rapporteur on the rights of defenders of human rights defenders
- Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Sa’ad Alfarargi, Special Rapporteur on the right to development
- Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism
Al Jazeera ban must be lifted, rights experts urge Palestinian Authority
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