The Palestinian Authority Minister of Telecommunications apologized Wednesday for a series of raids and closures of several TV and radio stations in the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Mashhur Abu Daqqa told Ma'an radio that an investigation committee would be formed to follow up on the raids, which were undertaken by PA ministry employees and customs officers, vowing to "bring to account those who violated the law."
The minister said he was not aware of the break-ins and that no official decision was taken by him or ministry employees, adding that he had returned from a tour abroad hours after the raids took place.
"The customs officers' intervention was a mistake; they have no business shutting down stations or visiting them in an official capacity. It was a mistake for them to be engaged in the act or to have intervened at someone else's request because only the ministry and Palestinian security forces have that authorization," Abu Daqqa said.
Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) issued a statement Wednesday afternoon welcoming the announcement of an investigation into the incident.
PA customs agents raided Ma'an's Nablus TV station Tuesday, assaulting three journalists during the latest in a series of operations targeting local broadcasters. The raid was quickly condemned by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and officials said complaints would be lodged.
Abu Daqqa vowed that the incident would not reoccur and said he informed the PJS that his ministry "will not allow any violations and the mistakes will be corrected."
"I apologize if any mistake was made by ministry employees. I will not cover for them ... All journalists and TV stations should be assured that there will be no raids. If a station is to be closed, a formal decision will be made with its reasons clarified. No one is above the law, neither employee nor citizen," he added.
In March, the telecommunications and interior ministries announced that stations either operating illegally or who had failed to pay a new licensing fee would be shut down immediately, prompting the PJS' condemnation.
In response, the ministries gave stations a one-month grace period to resolve their files after which, they said, both TV and radio stations would face immediate closure.
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