In a new infringement upon the freedom of the press in Gaza, unknown gunmen broke into and damaged the offices of the 'Independence' newspaper and the 'Dunya Al-Watan' electronic newspaper and stole equipment from them.
According to field investigations by Al Mezan, at approximately 11pm on Thursday 27 September 2007, unknown gunmen broke into the office of the 'Independence' newspaper which is located in the first floor of Athawra building in Al Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.
According to the paper's staff, the gunmen destroyed the door of the office and damaged its equipment and documents.
They stole five computers, two laptops, a fax, a TV set and a satellite receiver.
No information has yet been released regarding the identity of the perpetrators or the motives behind the incident.
In a similar incident, at approximately 3am on Friday 28 September 2007, unknown gunmen broke into the office of the 'Dunya Al-Watan' newspaper, which is located in the first floor of Abu Al Auf building in Tal Al Hawa neighborhood, west of Gaza City.
According to the paper's staff, the gunmen destroyed the door of the office and damaged its equipment and documents.
They stole three computer sets.
No information about the identity of the perpetrators or their motives has been available to Al Mezan yet.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights expresses its solidarity with the personnel of the two targeted newspapers.
It strongly condemns these attacks on the freedom of the press, especially as they coincided with the Journalist Day.
Al Mezan calls for a prompt, serious investigation into these criminal conducts.
The perpetrators must be pursued and brought to justice without delay.
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