Early morning on Thursday, November 4, 2021, Palestinian police and intelligence officers raided freelance journalist Naseem Mualla’s home in the town of Beita, south of the West Bank city of Nablus, seized his cell phone, and arrested him, according to news reports, the Palestinian press freedom group MADA, and a statement by the U.K.-based human rights group Arab Organization for Human Rights in the U.K.

Mualla’s brother, whose name was not disclosed, was cited in those news reports as saying that the officers who arrested Mualla told the family that he was wanted by the attorney general, but said they did not know the charges on which he was arrested. They did not tell the journalist’s family where they were taking Mualla, his brother said.

Mualla, a freelance journalist, recently covered protests against Israeli settlements near Beita and clashes between Palestinian civilians and Israeli security forces for several media outlets, his brother said. Palestinian security forces in the West Bank are under the control of the Palestinian Authority, according to reports.

CPJ found examples of Mualla’s reporting on the protests on the local radio station Alam Radio and the news website Ultra Palestine. He also posted videos covering the protests to his professional Facebook account, which has about 600 followers, including explanations on
the situation, footage of the clashes and demonstrations, and pictures and stories of injured protesters.