PA police detain journalist for reporting on salary of Palestine TV's hairdresser

Al-Jariri, who hosts a talk show on a Ramallah-based radio station, referred to the case during a program on the misuse of public funds.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Updated: FEBRUARY 16, 2016 04:46
Hairdresser (illustrative) (photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Hairdresser (illustrative)
(photo credit: INGIMAGE)
Palestinian Authority security forces on Monday detained journalist Ehab Al-Jariri, who complained that Palestine TV had paid a monthly salary of $12,000 to a female hairdresser.
Al-Jariri, who hosts a talk show on a Ramallah-based radio station, referred to the case during a program on the misuse of public funds.
He revealed that Palestine TV had signed a contract to hire the hairdresser for a monthly salary of $12,000.
A copy of the scandalous contract later went viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from many Palestinians.
Al-Jariri was detained following a complaint lodged by the hairdresser, who accused him of slander.
The PA prosecutor-general in Ramallah initially ordered him remanded into custody for 24 hours. However, Al-Jariri was released a few hours later following protests by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
The journalist’s lawyer, Ala Freijat, said that his client was released on a NIS 15,000 bail, and that Al-Jariri denied the charges against him.
Freijat said that Palestinian journalists needed a new law that would meet the requirements of their work and define the relationship between them and the authorities and ordinary citizens.
Shortly after his release, Al-Jariri said that his case was not different from other cases related to freedom of speech and media. He said that journalists were entitled to voice criticism on public issues.