Hamza Dar Abu Rabee
Lawyers for Justice expresses its deep concern at allegations of torture and miss-treatment received by the Political Intelligence Detainee in Ramallah, Hamza Dar Abu Rabee (20 years old), who is a resident of the Western Farm in Ramallah. In details, the General Intelligence Service arrested the young man, Abu Rabi`, from his workplace in a restaurant in the city of Al-Bireh on Sunday, December 22nd, knowing that Abu Rabi` is one of the wounded and is listed on the list of the wounded of the uprising, and he suffers from several diseases. On the day after his arrest, Monday, December 23, Hamza Dar Abu Rabi ‘was presented to the Public Prosecution office in Ramallah, and by him the office of “Lawyers for Justice”, where Hamza raised before the Public Prosecutor allegations of torture and miss-treatment, as he said by hanging his hands on the wall. And prevented him from taking a shower, as he suffers from a skin disease that necessitates his daily bathing, and his medications were only available on Monday evening, December 23, after his father was allowed to enter with his medication. In the context of the allegation of miss-treatment, Hamza said that he was threatened with placing a wet pouch in his mouth, and was also threatened with further torture, as investigators told him, “what’s coming is the greatest,” according to his account before the prosecution. The prosecution had charged Dar Abu Rabei with the charge of collecting recipients of funds from illegal associations, but he told the Public Prosecutor in the presence of “Lawyers for Justice” that his investigation revolved around his political activity. On Tuesday, the Magistrate Court extended the detention of political detainee Hamza Dar Abu Rabi for 15 days at the request of the Public Prosecution. Lawyers for Justice considers this statement a communication to the Prosecutor General to open an investigation into the allegations of torture and miss-treatment reported by Dar Abu Rabi, in compliance with the international agreements and treaties related to torture and miss-treatment signed by the State of Palestine.
Lawyers for Justice monthly report, November 2019
About Lawyers for Justice: The idea of a group of lawyers for justice was launched in Palestine in 2011, with the vision of a number of human rights lawyers, after the emergence of the need for a new independent legal body to defend the prisoners of conscience, in light of the widespread repression of the security services, which took place in peaceful demonstrations. Demands an end to the division; in 15/3/2019In 2018, the idea was transformed into the office of Lawyers for Justice, headquartered in Ramallah, to operate throughout the West Bank, with the participation of lawyers from all legal backgrounds, active in the field of human rights, and legally followed hundreds of political arrests, Issues of freedom of opinion and expression, and issues of journalists and human rights defenders. Contributions from the Lawyers for Justice group to monitor and document the Palestinian human rights situation. This monthly report is issued on cases that you follow on political, trade union, or freedom of opinion and expression, cases pursued through the courts, or urgent appeals on human rights cases. . The following are the highlights of the Group during November 2019: In November, Lawyers for Justice followed up on 17 arrests for political, trade union or freedom of expression arrests, 13 of whom were released and 4 continued. During November, four detainees raised allegations of torture and ill-treatment before the Public Prosecution. In November, 7 university students were arrested. The group appeared before the court and prosecutor, the arrested university student (MN), who has been detained since last February, while the release of (THH), who was arrested in October 2019. The group recorded one case of non-enforcement of court decisions to release one detainee during November.(HM) presented the day after his release to the Public Prosecution, which charged him with a new charge and suspended him accordingly, without applying the release order. The group recorded a six-day detention of a university student (MA) pending the governor of Tulkarm without being brought before any judicial authority. The lawyers and professors of the group followed nearly 25 court hearings in trade union cases, freedom of opinion and expression, political detention or human rights defenders; The group obtained the journalist’s innocence (MA) on 27/11/2019, in two cases; for insufficient evidence, he was arrested on 14/10/2019, and was charged in the first case with collecting and receiving funds from illegal associations, where he reported that those the money is his salary for his journalistic work, and in the second case was accused of possessing weapons where he denied the charges. Attorneys for Justice attended the first session of the trial of the late Esraa Gharib, as part of the legal supervision of fair trial guarantees, and issued a statement of its proceedings, calling on the group to continue to proceed with the proceedings in the open manner in which the first hearing took place. Lawyers for Justice expresses concern about allegations of torture and ill-treatment by a number of political detainees, and calls upon the Attorney General to investigate these allegations; in compliance with Palestinian law and international treaties and treaties signed by the State of Palestine, and sometimes rejects unusual measures; which not allow to have a copy of the clients’ files and not allowed the team members to visit their clients especially in the General Intelligence Service in Ramallah.Lawyers for Justice reports that it has issued 19 press releases and an urgent appeal in several of the cases detailed in this report below.* Recommendations at the end of the report. Details of the Group’s work and issues it followed during November 2019: Detention on political or trade union grounds or freedom of opinion and expression: 3/11/2019 University student (NN) resident of Ni’lin / Ramallah; arrested by the General Intelligence Service and presented to the Public Prosecution on 5/11/2019 on charges of collecting and receiving funds from illegal associations and extending his detention for 24 hours. On 6/11/2019, he was presented to the Ramallah Magistrate’s Court and his detention extended for 15 days. He was released before the expiry period. He was interrogated before the General Intelligence Service about his trade union activity, and the charge against him from the Public Prosecution was only The purpose of the extension of his arrest, “according to what was raised in front of the group’s lawyer,” and raised (ai) Allegations of torture and ill-treatment, as reported that the first day of his arrest at the General Intelligence hit the investigator on his face, and hit by a security man on his face. Arrested by the Preventive Security Agency (PA) in Nablus; he was brought before the prosecution and the court on 10/11/2019 and charged with collecting and receiving funds from illegal associations, and his detention was extended for 15 days. He was released from occupation prisons and was arrested more than once by the Palestinian security services in connection with his activities as a cartoonist. He was active during the prisoners’ hunger strike background of his political activity. 7/11/2019 Arrested university student (m.kh) resident of Sa’ir / Hebron; by the General Intelligence Service, the detainee was charged with collecting and receiving money from illegal associations and obtained a release order on 14/11/2019 on bail, but The decision was not implemented, and was again presented to the Public Prosecution for another charge of possession of weapons. He is still detained on this charge. He told the group’s lawyer that his interrogation was due to his political activism inside the university. 12/11/2019 Al-Bireh university student (NT) was arrested by the General Intelligence Service and released after hours of interrogation. After his release, he told the group’s lawyer that his interrogation was about the suspicion that he and his family were political activists in Ramallah City. 12/11/2019 a university student (AH) resident of Ramallah; was arrested by the General Intelligence Service, he was released after hours of investigation, after his release he talked to the group’s lawyer that his interrogation was about suspicion of political activity. 15/11/2019 The arrest of
The 20th trial of Dr. Adel Samara will be held on Wednesday
The Ramallah Magistrate Court will hold the 20th session of Dr. Adel Samara on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at 9:00 am, more witnesses will be heard to defense Dr. Samara, after the prosecution has finished his evidence in the last sessions, lawyers for justice has been represents and following Dr. Samara’s case since its inception. The trial of Dr. Samara started after he was summoned on 29 June 2016, and interrogated on the basis of a complaint filed by “A.M”, the complaint was because Samara wrote a statement denouncing a contradictory normalization paper; signed by Palestinian factions entitled “Call and cry from the depths”, calling for the establishment of a state with the settlers. It was not Dr. Adel Samara who wrote and published the statement that included the plaintiff’s name; also the statement was signed by hundreds of Arabs, knowing that he does not hide his opinion against normalization. The Magistrate’s Court had indicted Dr. Adel for “threatening or insulting by telephone” in violation of Article 91a of the Wireless Telecommunications Law No. 3 of 1996. Mentioning that Dr. Samara was born in 1944, holds a PhD in Political Economy and Development from the Universities of London and Exeter in Britain, plus he has 30 books in Arabic and English, some of which have been translated into French and written about economics, nationalism, women, development and socialism, and has published many researches and articles, he was arrested in 1963 and 1965 in Jordan for two and a half years, on the grounds of membership of the movement of Arab nationalists – heroes of return, in 1967 he was arrested by the occupation for five years on the back of his membership in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and another five months in 1979 against the background of his previous membership, and for a month by the Palestinian Authority for signing and publishing a statement of” twenty” against corruption, Samara worked as an economic advisor and journalist in more than one international economic institution. He accompanied the martyr Naji al-Ali in London and left after his assassination.
Statement by Lawyers for Justice regarding the deportation of activist Omar Shaker
Following the decision of the Israeli Interior Minister to deport human rights activist and defender Omar Shaker, the director of Human Rights Watch’s office in Palestine, Lawyers for Justice strongly condemns the deportation decision and the subsequent endorsement of it by the Israeli District Court of Jerusalem. This is an integral part of the policy of deportation practiced by the Israeli occupation authorities against anyone who carries a humanitarian and moral message towards the reality of which Palestinians are subjected to continuously by the ongoing occupation that has lasted for more than seventy years. The group considers the deportation decision, which was upheld by the Israeli Supreme Court in occupied Jerusalem on backgrounds of what the Minister of Interior of the occupation government described as hostile activity, in light of Shaker’s activity as a human rights activist and defender in the occupied territories. Lawyer for justice considers this act a continuation of a long-existing policy of legalization and legitimization of the occupation as well as authorization to the Israeli Army to wipe out any humanitarian message or anti-occupation human rights speech, and eradicate any call to end the occupation which has long been and continues to be a burden on the people of the free world. Lawyers for Justice, therefore, calls on all activists, human rights defenders and freedom activists to continue to carry out their humanitarian mission and their human rights activities to end the occupation and achieve freedom. The group urges to intensify messages of solidarity and provide moral support to the activist Omar Shaker and all defenders, liberals, and activists for freedom and for the respect for human rights.
Lawyers for Justice “follows with concern the allegations of torture and miss-treatment reported by the detainee Mohammed Zahran” by the Public Prosecution
Lawyers for justice followed up with Mohammed Zahran’s case on Tuesday, whom is a detainee for the GID in Ramallah, since Monday 18/11/2019 Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed Zahran, from Deir Abu Mish’al town, Ramallah’s district, a prisoner of liberation who spent three years in Israeli jails, Zahran works in the Anti-Corruption Commission, where attorney Muhannad Karajeh attended yesterday’s prosecution session held for Zahran at about 1:30 pm. “Lawyers for justice” worried about all the allegations of torture and miss-treatment raised by Zahran before the prosecution and documented in his reports, that he was tortured for more than 45 minutes, Zahran said yesterday that his hands were handcuffed, “his hands were placed behind his back, the handcuffs were tied to a rope and hung from the ceiling, this terrible mistreatment continued over 45 minutes, Zahran confirmed that they stripped off his clothes and kept him with a blouse while the weather was very cold, and then transferred him to a spot called “refrigerator” area which does not exceed one meter in length and meters across, and does not contain a mattress, which he could not sleep in it all night last night, plus he was not allowed to go to the bathroom. The Public Prosecution noted yesterday that Zahran had redness spots on his hands and decided to arrest him for 48 hours, but to show up again to the Public Prosecution on Thursday. Prosecutors accuse Zahran of collecting and receiving illegal money from illegal parties and the court released him with 200 dinars of bail, later the file was closed without conviction, and “Lawyers for Justice” group asserts that prosecuting the person on the same charge twice which is illegal. “Lawyers for Justice” considers this statement to be a communication to the Attorney General to open an investigation into the allegations of torture and miss-treatment reported by Zahran before the prosecution, In compliance with the international agreements and treaties against torture and miss-treatment signed by the State of Palestine.
A statement for “Lawyers for Justice” about the arrested student, Abdul Rahman Hamdan
Lawyers for Justice are following with great concern the arrest of a student at Birzeit University, Abd al-Rahman Hamdan, who was arrested by the General Intelligence Service up to 12:30 p.m last Thursday.Today, lawyers for justice have been present in the Public Prosecution offices since the morning to attend the investigation with Abd al-Rahman.Also, Abdul Rahman is about to graduate from the university, and since discussing his graduation project next Wednesday, keeping him arrested will lead to the loss of his academic future. “Lawyers for Justice” reject any detention that comes against the background of political opinion, student union work, or freedom of opinion and expression.
A statement to the public opinion on the decision for blocking media websites on the Internet
Lawyers for justice got surprised by the decision from the content of the judicial issued by the Ramallah Magistrate Court issued on 17/10/2019, this decision comes after the issuance of a similar decision with the same content that holds the number 11/2017 on 2/7/2017. Lawyers for justice consider the aforementioned decision issued by a Palestinian court as a political decision, with a legal cover aimed at curbing any media activity inconsistent with the policies of the existing political system, and this considered an infringement of rights and freedoms and reflects the government’s lack of seriousness in the decisions adopted by the public opinion on respect for freedoms and other opinion and also the freedom of press work in Palestine. Lawyers for Justice affirm that the decision violates the Palestinian Basic Law, as well as international agreements signed by the State of Occupied Palestine, which is committed to respect for rights and freedoms Including freedom of opinion and expression, especially when the incitement against national values, heritage and culture is proliferating and the approach to normalization continues without questioning or accountability. Lawyers for justice also affirm the necessity of reversing this decision and canceling all its legal effects, and not issuing such illegal decisions, and not issuing the law of freedom of speech, implication of this, is the exploitation of the practitioner against organs of the judiciary. Lawyers for justice had filed an appeal with the number 44/2018 before the Court of first Instance in Ramallah as an appeal against the previous decision, which was number 11/2017, lawyers for justice decided not to accept it from the court at the time, under the pretext of lack of jurisdiction according to the decision of the Appealing Court.
Mohammed Nasir
Mohammed Jamal Nasir, a student in berzeit university and a trade union activist, He was arrested by the Palestinian General Intelligence from Ramallah on Tuesday 22/10/2019, Mohammed Nasser is a former prisoner and was arrested in the General Intelligence in 2014. The lawyer Mohanad Karajah confirmed that his arrest was extended by the Public Prosecution inside the Intelligence Service on Wednesday 23/10/2019 for 24 hours He was interrogated by the Public Prosecution on Thursday 24/10/2019 on charges of collecting and receiving illegal funds. Mohanad Karajah stated that during the interrogation Nasir was tortured for long hours, Mohanad also noticed that Nasir was not able to move his fingers so he asked the public prosecution to transfer him to medical services, on the same day, the Public Prosecution requested the Ramallah Magistrate Court to extend his detention for 15 days until the investigation, the Magistrate Court approved the request, and extended the investigation period for 15 days, and present him to a forensic doctor. While Mohanad Karajah stated that during his escort he asked the magistrate to see him, and the court noticed that there were marks on Mohammed’s hands as a result of torture at the intelligence service. Lawyers for justice prevent the political detention and human and human rights defenders, which the General Intelligence Service got used to arrest the human rights activists on these charges and the continued detention will adversely affect detainee educational career. Lawyers for justice calling Berzeit University to take action and to stand with Nasir in order to release him and attend his classes, also to consider this act as a complaint to the Attorney General to open an immediate investigation into the torture.
Mohammed Abu-Hasan
Mohammed Nathmi Mohmoud Abu-Hasan, a journalist arrested by the Preventive Security in Tubas, from his workplace where Mahmoud works as a public relations manager in an electricity company in Tubas. Abu-Hasan was presented to the Public Prosecution on 14/10/2019, the second day on 15/10/2019 his detention was extended for 15 days for possession of a weapon without a license, and then he was transferred from the Preventive Security headquarters in Tubas to the Preventive Security headquarters in Ramallah 17/10/2019, then transferred to the Public Prosecution on 22/10/2019 on charges of collecting and receiving funds, all the investigations were in the presence of lawyer Muhannad Karajeh, and the interrogation was about his work and journalism in one of a Palestinian newspaper, His detention was extended for another 48 hours on 24/10/2019, and then brought to Ramallah Magistrate Court, then his detention was extended for 15 days without taking his activity, journalistic work, family circumstances seriously, and the fact he’s a human rights defender.
Rajaa’ Lahlouh
On 5/3/2018 an early retirement letter from the Ministry of Education, was sent to Ms. Rajaa’ Lahlouh, without sending a warning to her. Ms. Rajaa’ has 14 years experience in teaching, and has a master degree in translation. A letter has been submitted to the Ministry of Education to explain the reasons for her retirement, adding to that 117 is the total number of teachers who got an early retirement, Ms. Rajaa’ decided to visit the minister of education Mr. Awartani on 1/8/2019 and ask by herself about the early retirement, after the discussion he told her that the reason behind your early retirement is because you were one from a group of colleagues active in teacher mobility in 2016. The early retirement decision was used to impose the retirement on the teachers; Ms. Rajaa contacted the human rights institutions to resolve her case, she didn’t contact any lawyer, but unfortunately none of the institutions helped. On 20/10/2019 Ms. Raja protested in front of the Ministry of Education and burned her university degrees, but there was no reaction to this huge step.