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.
Considered to be the first Palestinian DJ, Sama Abdulhadi, 30, was arrested on December 27 for having organized, the day before, an electronic music concert in Nabi Moussa, presumed place of the tomb of the prophet Moses (Moussa in the Koran), near Jericho.
She was released Sunday evening after paying 3,500 dollars (around 2,840 euros), said her father, Saad Abdulhadi, adding that she should appear at a new hearing, the date of which has not been determined. He 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, the arrest of my daughter was decided to please the street”, regretted his father.
Videos shared on social media showed men and women dancing to Nabi Moussa during the concert. They sparked a wave of indignation, with Internet users believing that it was a desecration of the place, where a mosque is also located.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called for the creation of a commission of inquiry “In order to determine what happened in Nabi Moussa”. An online petition demanding the release of the DJ, also known abroad, gathered more than 100,000 signatures in one week.
