Ewa Jasciewicz - still locked up.
freethepeeps | 20.08.2004 17:25
It seems Ewa won’t be leaving the Israeli detention centre anytime soon afterall - despite the judge deciding there’s not enough evidence to hold her, the state are appealing this ruling! This report is from the NUJ’s London Freelance site.
Judge orders member’s release, but she stays in jail
A JUDGE in Tel Aviv ordered the release of London Freelance Branch member Ewa Jasiewicz on Thursday 19 April - but the following day, just an hour after her bail was posted, the State appealed to the Supreme Court - so that Ewa would stay in jail over the weekend at least.
Ewa landed in Israel on 11 August and was detained by the authorities, who claimed that she was a political activist and that her reporting "would not be objective". After being held for eight days, a judge found that there was not enough evidence to hold her. This means, as her lawyer points out, that the "secret evidence" the security services held on her was "clearly no good".
The manouvre of appealing to the Supreme Court was "absolutely horrendous," the lawyer said: "a judge says there's not enough evidence to hold her, and then they appeal."
Ewa, who has reported for Red Pepper and Voices in the Wilderness, said in a phone call from jail quoted on Indymedia: "I feel frustrated, targeted, demonised. They're telling me how to do my job. "It's not enough to write a story about a situation or family, but I also must make change. I'm not just an observer. If I see a breach of human rights or international law I have a responsibility to intervene. "Democracy needs a plurality of opinion, a plurality of positions and voices. Attempts to homogenise public opinion or to constrict political expression sows the seeds of dictatorship."
The Israeli Embassy in London responded to the NUJ's press release condemning Ewa's detention by claiming that "Ms Jasiewicz has abused her NUJ Press Card in order to interfere with IDF [Israeli Defense Force] anti terrorist activities as a political activist for the International Solidarity Movement." Her lawyer says that the judge's ruling contradicts this.
Read Ewa's report on the murder of Baha Bahesh at
http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nablusweb/baha/baha_report_1.html
A JUDGE in Tel Aviv ordered the release of London Freelance Branch member Ewa Jasiewicz on Thursday 19 April - but the following day, just an hour after her bail was posted, the State appealed to the Supreme Court - so that Ewa would stay in jail over the weekend at least.
Ewa landed in Israel on 11 August and was detained by the authorities, who claimed that she was a political activist and that her reporting "would not be objective". After being held for eight days, a judge found that there was not enough evidence to hold her. This means, as her lawyer points out, that the "secret evidence" the security services held on her was "clearly no good".
The manouvre of appealing to the Supreme Court was "absolutely horrendous," the lawyer said: "a judge says there's not enough evidence to hold her, and then they appeal."
Ewa, who has reported for Red Pepper and Voices in the Wilderness, said in a phone call from jail quoted on Indymedia: "I feel frustrated, targeted, demonised. They're telling me how to do my job. "It's not enough to write a story about a situation or family, but I also must make change. I'm not just an observer. If I see a breach of human rights or international law I have a responsibility to intervene. "Democracy needs a plurality of opinion, a plurality of positions and voices. Attempts to homogenise public opinion or to constrict political expression sows the seeds of dictatorship."
The Israeli Embassy in London responded to the NUJ's press release condemning Ewa's detention by claiming that "Ms Jasiewicz has abused her NUJ Press Card in order to interfere with IDF [Israeli Defense Force] anti terrorist activities as a political activist for the International Solidarity Movement." Her lawyer says that the judge's ruling contradicts this.
Read Ewa's report on the murder of Baha Bahesh at
http://www.angelfire.com/nb/nablusweb/baha/baha_report_1.html
freethepeeps
Homepage:
http://www.londonfreelance.org/fl/0409ewaj.html
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BBC ARTICLE
20.08.2004 19:02
ISM press release:
URGENT CALL TO ACTION: SUPREME COURT APPEARANCE SUNDAY 9:00am
JERSUSALEM. SUPPORT NEEDED FOR BRITISH JOURNALIST EWA JASIEWICZ
Israeli State Attorney, directed by "the highest levels of secret
Service", appeals Decision to Release UK Journalist.
"Israel doesn't want me to witness it's continued violation of human
rights," Ewa Jasiewicz , UK Journalist in detention.
Judge Kobo of Tel Aviv District Court ordered Ewa Jasiewicz be
released from detention in Ben Gurion airport, on the conditions
that she not enter the Occupied Palestinian Territories nor engage
in any activities or events that may involve the Israeli Army.
However, today on the morning of her expected release, August 20,
2004, the State Attorney appealed the judges' decision and received
an injunction from the Supreme Court.
On Sunday morning August 22nd at 9:00am Ewa will appear before the
Supreme Court in Jerusalem.
After reviewing the secret evidence presented to Judge Kobo, he
decided Ewa was not security risk and allowed for her release. The
decision threw into question the credibility of the evidence
presented by the secret service to the court.
The National Union of Journalists in Europe is rejecting the
decision of the State to appeal. They have stated that this is a
critical issue of freedom of speech and freedom of the press,
and involves the publics right to know.
For more information contact:
ISM Media Office: (972) 2-277-4602 or 547-358-579
Attorney Yael Barda: (972) 50-874-30-83
ftp