On Saturday 19 March 2011, attacks against journalists once again took place in Gaza.
Police and security forces also escalated their attacks on press offices.
These attacks come in the context of attempts to prevent journalists from publishing pictures of the police's violent dispersal of the peaceful assemblies which have been occurring around the Gaza Strip in recent days.
       According to information collected by Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, at approximately 12:10pm on Saturday, 19 March 2011, police stopped the Associated Press (AP) photographer Khalid Al Ashqar while he was driving his car near the Unknown Soldier Square.
Al Ashqar was on his way to the AP office after taking photos at the Shifa Hospital of persons who had been injured in an Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip.
In his affidavit to Al Mezan, Al Ashqar said that a policeman ‘accused’ him of taking photos of the Unknown Soldier Square.
Al Ashqar told the policeman that his camera was on the backseat of the car and that he had not been using it.
The policeman claimed that Al Ashqar had been taking photos of the Square with his cell phone, a claim which Al Ashqar denied.
The policeman started to pull Al Ashqar out of his car and, along with four other policemen, beat Al Ashqar with their hands and feet.
They then ordered him to present himself at the police station.
Al Ashqar refused, telling them that he would not go without an arrest warrant.
He showed them his journalist's card, but they continued to pull and beat him.
They forced him into a police car and took him to the police investigations department.
At the department, a police officer claimed that Al Ashqar had been taking photos of the Square with his cell phone.
Al Ashqar handed his cell phone to the police officer to search it.
The officer did not find any pictures for the Square and returned the cell phone to Al Ashqar.
Al Ashqar asked the police officer for the names of those who beat him so he could make a complaint against them.
The officer said to Al Ashqar 'You have to thank God that you will be released'.
At approximately 1:40pm on the same day, members of police and security forces arrived at the Reuters office which is located near the Unknown Soldier Square.
One of the office staff had took footage of Al Ashqar being beaten and published it.
The police beat office staff.
The force also destroyed some equipment in the office and confiscated a camera.
The camera was returned later to the Reuters office.
To express their condemnation of these attacks on journalists, dozens of journalists from different news agencies organized a sit-in at the entrance of the Al Shourouq Tower in the Ar-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.
Then they moved to a place opposite the Reuters office.
  At approximately 1:30pm on Saturday, a police force broke into the office of the Japanese television station located on the 15th floor at the Bank of Palestine Building in the Ar-Rimal neighborhood, opposite to the Unknown Soldier Square.
They confiscated a videotape and, according to information obtained by Al Mezan, were also rude to the office staff.
  In a separate incident, at approximately 11:30am on Saturday 19 March 2011, a police force broke into Mayadeen office which is located on the rooftop of Al Shourouq Tower while journalists and photographers were taking photos of the Israeli shelling on the eastern areas of the Gaza Strip.
In their affidavits to Al Mezan, the Mayadeen photographers said that the police attacked two journalists, Muzir Al Shrafi and Ramiz Al Ghoul.
The police also confiscated a videotape belonging to the journalists.
  Al Mezan Center for Human Rights reiterates its strong condemnation of the use of violence and excessive force by the police and security forces against journalists and their offices.
Therefore, Al Mezan calls on the Gaza Government to:   ·         Issue clear and strict instructions to law enforcement personnel to ensure they respect the law and refrain from employing violence in dealing with peaceful assemblies and journalists in Gaza.
  ·         Initiate prompt and serious investigations into the assaults on journalists and news agencies, take the necessary steps to bring such assaults to an immediate end and bring perpetrators to justice.
End