A/HRC/22/35 employment. Thus, the security services made recommendations to the Palestinian Authority ministries regarding the hiring, continuation and/or termination of contracts based on political affiliations. Since then, hundreds of school teachers, for example, have been dismissed on the basis of interventions by the two security agencies. According to information available to OHCHR, since 2008 such practices had adversely affected at least 640 people who were excluded from public sector employment on the basis of their political beliefs or affiliations. 55. In positive developments, the Palestinian Authority Cabinet, on 24 April 2012, suspended this decision. Further, on 4 September 2012, the Palestinian High Court ruled in favour of teachers who had been dismissed from their positions due to negative reports by security agencies. Following the court order, the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced that it would comply with the court ruling and rehire the dismissed teachers. 56. OHCHR continued to monitor detention by Palestinian law enforcement agencies, as well as engage with and provide technical assistance on human rights to relevant Palestinian authorities and institutions. The number of complaints of arbitrary detention by the Palestinian Authority received by OHCHR in 2011 decreased significantly, as did the number of complaints received by the Independent Commission for Human Rights and other Palestinian human rights organizations. The Commission reported 755 complaints in 2011, compared with 1,559 in 2010. However, the first half of 2012 witnessed a considerable increase of allegations of arbitrary detention by the Palestinian Authority security forces. 57. OHCHR documented cases that indicate that the security services are still arbitrarily detaining Palestinians, especially persons affiliated with Islamist parties, demonstrators supporting the Arab Spring and national reconciliation efforts, and media professionals and bloggers critical of the Palestinian Authority. The cases documented include detention of individuals without warrants, not informing the individuals detained of the charges against them or the reasons for their detention, prolonged detention without presenting the detainee before a competent court, and non-implementation of judicial decisions ordering the release of individuals. 58. Journalists were targeted by security services during the reporting period. In early 2012, OHCHR monitored the detention of Youssef al-Shayeb, a Palestinian journalist for various local and regional newspapers. On 30 January, Mr. al-Shayeb published a report in the Jordan-based Al-Ghad newspaper, where he criticized corruption at the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Paris. On 31 January, Mr. al-Shayeb was summoned and interrogated by the general intelligence service in Ramallah. On 25 February, Mr. al-Shayeb was informed that he had been fired from his position with Al-Ghad. On 22 March, he was summoned by the police and was detained for 48 hours. On 28 March, he was taken to court where the prosecutor accused him of incitement against the Palestinian Authority and falsely accusing people of spying, among other things. The judge ordered the extension of his detention for 15 days, whereupon Mr. al-Shayeb declared that he was starting a hunger strike. On 2 April, however, a court ordered his release on a 10,000 Jordanian dinar bail. After his release, he was in a hospital for two days because of his medical condition. The court denied the prosecution’s request that he be returned to prison. On 2 May, OHCHR sent a letter to President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad outlining its concerns with regard to the detention of journalists. OHCHR has yet to receive a response. 2. Ill-treatment by Palestinian Authority security forces 59. OHCHR continued to receive complaints regarding ill-treatment by the Palestinian Authority security services. Allegations of ill-treatment received by OHCHR referred to shabeh, beating, threats, deprivation of sleep and solitary confinement. 15