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Journalist Released After Shin Bet Detention, Claims Political Persecution
Journalist Abdul Qader Abd Abu Shahada was released from custody on Sunday, November 8, five days after his arrest on suspicion of contacting a foreign agent. Police arrested Abu Shahada on Tuesday night, November 3, during a raid on his home in Jaffa, and subsequently held him at a police station in Petah Tikva.
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What happened
- 01Journalist Abdul Qader Abd Abu Shahada was released on Sunday, November 8, after five days in detention.
- 02Abu Shahada was arrested on Tuesday night, November 3, during a police raid on his home in Jaffa.
- 03The arrest was made on suspicion of contacting a foreign agent following his interview with former Knesset member Azmi Bishara.
- 04The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court extended Abu Shahada's detention until November 8, rejecting a longer police request.
- 05Abu Shahada called his detention a baseless political interrogation and a Shin Bet witch hunt aimed at silencing Arab society.
- 06A protest planned outside the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court by the Higher Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens in Israel was canceled after his release.
The arrest followed an interview Abu Shahada conducted with former Knesset member Azmi Bishara, a founder of the Balad party. The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court had extended his detention until November 8, rejecting a longer extension requested by the police. Rights groups, political organizations, and journalistic bodies criticized the arrest, warning against prosecuting journalists for their work.
Upon his release, Abu Shahada described his detention as false, baseless, and a political interrogation. He characterized the investigation as a Shin Bet witch hunt intended to intimidate and silence Arab society and delegitimize their voting rights. Following his release, a protest planned outside the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court by the Higher Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens in Israel and human rights groups was canceled.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Ynetnews. Read Ynetnews’s original
The coverage
3 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- LeftNone
- Centre1
- RightNone
- HarediNone
- Arab2