Palestinian authorities arrest critic, two years after severely beating him

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A Palestinian activist group in the West Bank says Palestinian security forces have detained a Palestinian journalist after he wrote critical posts on social media. The committee of families of political detainees said that Akil Awawdeh was arrested Thursday after he mocked claims by a spokesman for the security services that there are no political arrests in the West Bank. “For God’s sake,” he wrote on Facebook. “You should respect our mind’s more than that.” Awawdeh, a reporter for a local radio station, is an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority. Two years ago, he was severely beaten inside a police station after covering a protest. Human rights groups have repeatedly accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of stifling dissent.