Palestinian activist arrested for calling on Abbas to resign

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Reuters Photo)

Palestinian security forces have detained a prominent activist after he called for President Mahmoud Abbas to resign.

A lawyer representing Issa Amro, a human rights activist from the West Bank city of Hebron, says his client was arrested Monday after posting his comments on Facebook.

Ayman Qawasmi, a Palestinian reporter, was arrested yesterday after writing that Abbas should resign for “failing to protect the Palestinian people.” Qawasmi’s radio station was closed last week by the Israeli military for alleged incitement to violence.

The arrests are the latest in recent crackdown on journalists by the Palestinian Authority. Amnesty International calls Amro’s arrest “a shameless attack on freedom of expression.”