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RAMALLAH, March 28, 2012 (WAFA) – A Palestinian court Wednesday extended the arrest of journalist Yousef al-Shayeb for 15 days pending investigation of charges of slander and defamation against the Palestinian diplomatic mission in France and the foreign minister.

Shayeb, who was arrested on Monday and detained for 48 hours by orders from the attorney general, announced during the remand hearing that he will go on hunger strike to protest his arrest, which he considered an infringement on press freedom.

The Palestinian ambassador to France and his deputy and Foreign Minister Riyad Malki filed a complaint of slander and deformation against Shayeb after he published a story in the Jordanian newspaper, Al-Ghad, in January accusing the ambassador of corruption and the foreign minister of covering up for him.

Shayeb, who also writes for the Palestinian daily al-Ayyam, was held for several hours the day after his story was published.

Dozens of Palestinian journalists gathered outside the Courthouse and the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday in Ramallah to protest Shayeb’s arrest.

R.Q./M.S.

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4/2/2012

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian magistrate court ruled on Monday to release a journalist jailed for a week over his report in the Jordanian press, on bail of 5,000 Jordanian dinars.

Yousef al-Shayeb will be freed while investigation of the case is ongoing, the court said.

On Wednesday a Palestinian court extended his remand for 15 days. He is under investigation for libel and defamation for a newspaper article he published in January.

Al-Shayeb was jailed after a complaint filed by Foreign Minister Riyad Malki and Hael al-Fahoum, the envoy in Paris.

His report in Al-Ghad newspaper documented corruption allegations against the Palestinian diplomatic delegation in France, the Palestinian National Fund and the foreign minister.

Al-Malki on Thursday defended his role in the reporter's arrest, after the Palestinian journalists union held protests and called for members to boycott a press freedom prize announced by the PA days earlier.

"I'm surprised some journalists reacted emotionally on behalf of their colleague without hearing the other side's case, or considering for a moment if Yousef al-Shayeb is the oppressor or the oppressed," the foreign minister told Ma'an.

He maintains al-Shayeb knew beforehand of falsehoods in his report, which claims al-Malki illegally promoted a diplomat to the post of deputy ambassador despite having knowledge of his ties to foreign intelligence.

The attorney general said Sunday the PA sees "no problem" in detaining journalists who break the law.

"Any journalist is allowed to publish any information he wants to, after proving it with evidence rather than basing it on (rumors on) Facebook and other networking sites," Ahmad al-Maghni said.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Journalists called for al-Shayeb's release, warning that the case will lead to self-censorship and undermine public trust in the media.

"The protection of sources is universally accepted as an essential tenet of independent reporting," IFJ president Jim Boumelha said in a statement.

"Journalists the world over will be outraged that Shayeb has been sentenced for upholding such a basic principle. He has no case to answer and should be released immediately," he said.