LONDON, MARCH 29, 2007 (WAFA) - Amnesty International Thursday renewed its call for the immediate release of Alan Johnston, the BBC correspondent who is being held by an unknown armed group in the Gaza Strip.

The organization said in a paress release the continuing abduction of Alan Johnston, who was seized by Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip on 12 March 2007, was particularly worrying and that it was greatly concerned for his safety.

He has now been held for 17 days, longer than any other journalist kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. His case has aroused widespread protest. Palestinians have held rallies in Gaza demanding his release while Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank held last week a strike in his support. But, as yet, his captors have released no information about him.

Amnesty International said that Alan Johnston's kidnapping and disappearance was the latest in a series of abductions and other acts of lawlessness, especially in the Gaza Strip, which stem from a long-standing problem of impunity and the failure of the PA government to ensure the rule of law.

A.D (22.50P) (20.50GMT)