Executive Summary In the area of violating the press freedoms, ICHR detected the arrest or deprivation from liberty of 21 journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, some of them were arrested on the grounds of the political divide. Such arrests which undermined the freedom of opinion and expression had negative effects on the media professionals and raised their concerns which prevented them from reporting the news freely for fear of prosecution and arrest. Most of the procedures of journalists’ interrogation and detention did not follow the due legal process. Some journalists indicated that they were abused and that the investigations focused on their journalistic and professional work and activity and their activities covering the events, taking press photos, editing, or preparing press reports, whether written or visual. It was observed that the West Bank-based Preventive Security Service and General Intelligence Service, and the Gaza Strip-based Police Service, Criminal Investigations Department, and Internal Security Force are the most frequent violators of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of press. These agencies are the subject of most of the complaints filed to ICHR; therefore, the violators of such right must be subject to accountability measures. Regarding the policies, measures, and procedures adopted to protect the right to freedom of opinion and expression, ICHR found out through communications with the competent authorities that they did not set any policies nor did they adopt any new measures or procedures to protect to the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In line with its vision to safeguard to the right to opinion and expression, ICHR reiterates its position on the Decree-Law No. 16 of 2017 concerning the cybercrimes and notes that the observations filed by ICHR in partnership with the civil society organizations should be taken into account and such law should be amended in consistency with the amended Basic Law and the international human rights conventions. ICHR further recommends the National Consensus Government to instruct the police and its security agencies, especially the West Bank-based Preventive Security, to stop arresting and summoning the journalists, or summoning citizens on the grounds of their opinions. It recommends that President Mahmoud Abbas should step in and instruct the General Intelligence Service to stop its The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) 25

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