Palestina - Palestinian Journalist Union elections and arrest (2011)

In January the Fatah Central Committee stated that it would respect the decision of the members of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the results of their elections in January. The elections were the first in over a decade and came after an arrest warrant was issued against the leader of the union, Na’im Toubassi, by the Palestinian Attorney-General. The Palestinian Authority (PA) stated that they would cancel the warrant so that the elections could take place without any alleged interference. The statement came shortly after the PA arrested a freelance journalist and union member, Mustafa Sabri. However, in October Hamas security forces shut down the headquarters of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in Gaza and informed the officials present that they would remain closed until further notice.