Journalists in the occupied West Bank urged the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday to respect freedom of speech after a week in which it detained three vocal critics, including two reporters.
The journalists and a university lecturer were arrested for newspaper articles and Facebook posts that the authorities said were slanderous. The academic remains behind bars.
"We need laws to clarify the rights of journalists, protecting their work and completely removing the threat of detention and interrogation," said Abdel Nasr al-Najjar, head of the Palestinian Journalists Union.
"It's unacceptable that detention for any period should be involved for any charge not related to security," he told Reuters.
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The controversy has flared just as the PA is sponsoring an event to reward press freedom, with a prize due to be given out next month. However, following the recent detentions, the Journalists Union says it will boycott the occasion.
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