Journalist Bayan al-Jo'beh will face trial early next month; the indictment calls for a 24-month prison sentence
A new hearing was held last Sunday for Jerusalemite journalist Bayan al-Jo’beh, and the court set June 7th as the date for the verdict in her case.
During the hearing, the Israeli prosecution sought a 24-month prison sentence for al-Jo’beh, accusing her of "incitement and supporting a terrorist organization" based on social media posts, as stated in the indictment.
The prosecution filed the indictment on March 20, 2025, accusing her of "incitement via social media, support for, and membership in a terrorist organization." The charges are based on her journalistic and news posts on Facebook and Instagram from 2021 to 2024, as well as personal photos taken inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On February 28, 2025, authorities detained journalist al-Jo'beh inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque. She was there with her two daughters and her husband, journalist Mohammad Al-Sadiq, on the eve of Ramadan, observing the new moon sighting. She was released after several hours of questioning because of her health issues, as she was in her final month of pregnancy, which was considered high-risk.
Since that time, al-Jo'beh has faced strict restrictions such as house arrest, compulsory court appearances, and a prohibition on using social media.
Over the past few months, around 12 court hearings have taken place in her case. These included presenting, reading, and amending the indictment, witness testimonies, and a referral to a probation officer. The latest hearing focused on reviewing the probation officer's report. The prosecution reaffirmed its request for a prison sentence, highlighting that similar cases lead to sentences ranging from 22 to 40 months, and advocating for a 24-month term.
On the day of the hearing, police stopped al-Jo'beh at a checkpoint in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, claiming she violated her house arrest order, even though she told them she was heading to court for her hearing.
The police asked her to produce "the session protocol and details of the appointment and time." During this process, they searched and examined her vehicle before issuing a fine of 1000 shekels and suspending the vehicle's license on the grounds of "lack of clarity and weak lighting in a number of the vehicle's lights."
