Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip went on strike yesterday in protest at the abduction of Alan Johnston, the BBC correspondent, who disappeared more than a week ago.
The 44-year-old Scot was seized on March 12 while driving his car in the coastal strip. There has been no public word on his fate despite Palestinian government pledges to find him.
Declaring its 24-hour strike, the Palestinian Journalists Union said in a statement that it could "escalate" such protest actions unless Mr Johnston was released forthwith.
The union called the strike a "protest against the continued status of negligence, carelessness, and silence" in Gaza, which has had spiralling criminal and factional violence since Israel withdrew troops and settlers in 2005 after 38 years of occupation.
The strike came after the BBC correspondent's father, Graham Johnston, appealed for information which could aid his son's release.
The BBC said it was working "tirelessly" with authorities in Gaza to locate Mr Johnston.
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