The young woman was arrested last week for giving a concert at an archaeological and religious site in the occupied West Bank.
Le Monde with AFP
Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi was released on bail, her family reported on Monday (January 4th). She was arrested last week by Palestinian police for giving a controversial concert at an archaeological and religious site in the occupied West Bank.
Believed to be the first Palestinian DJ, Sama Abdulhadi, 30, was arrested on December 27 for having organized, the day before, an electronic music concert at Nabi Moussa, presumed place of the tomb of the prophet Moses (Moussa in the Koran), near Jericho.
She was released on Sunday evening after paying 3,500 dollars (around 2,840 euros), said her father, Saad Abdulhadi, specifying that she should appear at a new hearing, the date of which has not been determined. She is prohibited from traveling to the hearing, he added.
Wave of indignation
The musician’s family had claimed that she had received authorization from the authorities for this concert. “Unfortunately, my daughter’s arrest was decided to please the streets,” regretted her father.
Videos shared on social networks showed men and women dancing to Nabi Moussa during the concert. They sparked outrage, with netizens believing it to be a desecration of the place, which also houses a mosque.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called for the creation of a commission of inquiry “to determine what happened in Nabi Moussa”. An online petition calling for the release of the DJ, also known abroad, gathered more than 100,000 signatures in a week.