Gaza – Press House
On Monday, May 10, 2021, a dialogue session on the topic of “Media Rights and Freedoms in Relation to the Postponement of the Elections” as part of “Journalists Have Power” project activities funded by the Government of Canada.
With high prevention measures to prevent the outbreak of COVID 19, the dialogue session was held at Almathaf Hotel in Gaza city and attended by Dr. Ahmed Hammad, Professor at media collage- Alaqsa University, and Mr. Mohammed Aljaish, lawyer and Consultant at Legal Protection Unit for Journalists, Journalists (women and men) and media graduates in the Gaza Strip.
The session was opened by Mr. Mohammed Aljaish talking about media rights and freedoms in Palestine and pointing out the necessity of providing Journalists (women and men) with protection and the impact of holding elections on the role of media professionals and developing their performance relating to the new skills of the new phase.
From his side, Dr. Ahmed Hammad said, ”cancelling elections will lead to negative political, national, legal, and democratic consequences in addition to making people and political parties depressed, especially poor lists that offered great efforts and spent money collected with difficulty to join the elections.”
He also mentioned that in the light of political division, there is a complete absence of practicing the democratic process represented by the general elections in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in addition to restricting the general freedoms, freedom of expression and violating human rights in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Hammad also stressed the necessity of holding the general elections for updating the laws of general freedoms, enhancing judicial control, separating powers, and releasing freedoms. In addition, it is important to work on raising people’s awareness and practicing all freedoms taking into consideration public interest and stop using the language of defamation and treason while practicing the right of freedom of expression. Moreover, the role of media should be activated in developing its programs for having more important role in guiding citizens to enhance rule of law.
