International

Cartoon Movement cartoonist held by Israelis

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Alan Gardner February 20, 2013 1 minute 3 comments

From The Cartoon Movement:

Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Saba’aneh was detained last Saturday by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the at the Karame border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. The Palestinian Journalist’s Syndicate denounced the arrest of Mohammad, and issued a press release stating the IDF is systematically targeting journalists and infringing their freedom of movement.

Mohammad is a member of Cartoon Movement, a global cartoonist collective, and editorial cartoonist for al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper. He also works in the public relations department of the Arab American University (AAU) in Amman. In 2010, he visited the annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) as part of International Visitor Leadership Program, sponsored by the State Department.

Thaer Saba’aneh, a specialist in prisoners? affairs and brother of the detainee, stated the arrest came as a surprise as Mohammad has never before been detained by the IDF. Mohammad was on his way back home from a conference at the AAU. At the time of writing we are unable to ascertain the well-being of Mohammad. Cartoon Movement and Cartoonists Rights Network International are working together to find out the reason behind the arrest and to support the cartoonist.

Palestinian cartoonist Mohammad Saba’aneh was detained last Saturday by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the at the Karame border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. The Palestinian Journalist’s Syndicate denounced the arrest of Mohammad, and issued a press release stating the IDF is systematically targeting journalists and infringing their freedom of movement. Mohammad is a member of Cartoon Movement, a global cartoonist collective, and editorial cartoonist for al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper.