Palestinian media centre demands investigation

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Center "MADA" demands an investigation into the attack on Palestine Public TV correspondent Ahmed Shawer and the cameraman Bashar Nazal,  who were attacked and then arrested by the IOF last Friday 21st June 2013, during their coverage of Kofor Kadom weekly March Near Nablus in the West Bank. Nazal reported to MADA early this morning that he went with a number of colleagues to cover the march, by the end a soldier ordered him to stop filming, and suddenly after less than a minute a group of soldiers attacked Nazal and his colleague Shawer, beat them severely for a long time with hands and legs, which caused them bruises throughout their bodies, along with insults and curses. Nazal Added: "After that they handcuffed and arrested us, and we were supposedly supposed to appear at court next Tuesday, but one of the soldiers came and said that they will release us after we each pay bail of 1,800 shekels - approximately 495 US dollars, and that is what we did yesterday". The IOF released Shawer and Nazal around 10:30 pm yesterday 24th June 2013. MADA condemns the attack on Shawer and Nazal, and demands the international community, especially the Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations in Palestine, the Special repertoire for freedom of opinion and expression in the United Nations, and other international bodies concerned, to open a fast and serious investigation into the incident and to hold the aggressors on the journalists accountable, especially that the attack has been documented on film.