A decision to release the political detainee, Salama Abdel-Jawad
The Nablus Magistrate Court issued a decision to release the political detainee, Salama Abdel-Jawad, on a commercial warranty of 2000 Jordanian dinars. The Preventive Security had arrested Salama Abdel-Jawad on December 29, 2022, and referred his case to the Public Prosecution, which charged him with political charges. During his detention, Salama Abdel-Gawad was subjected to torture and ill-treatment by members of the Preventive Security. … Lawyers for Justice January 9, 2023 To follow the news of the detainees, you can join Lawyers for Justice community via WhatsApp through the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CuJR94yuhGp6Tdod1K6Mpi
Ramallah Magistrate Court issues a decision extending the detention of political detainee Basil Flayan
The Magistrate Court in Ramallah issued a decision to extend the detention of the political detainee, Basil Flayan, for a period of fifteen days, and the court’s decision came despite hearing allegations of torture against the detainee, Flayan, which was represented by crucifixion, beating with hoses, and other subjects The court and “Lawyers for Justice” lawyers were able to see signs of torture at the hands of Flyan. Accordingly, “Lawyers for Justice” holds the General Intelligence Service fully responsible for the life of the detainee Flayan, in light of the allegations of torture that they heard and saw its effects. … Lawyers for Justice January 9, 2023
Today,”Lawyers for Justice” group obtained an acquittal of the former political detainee Moamen Dawood (Nofal) from the Magistrates Court in Qalqilya.
Lawyers for Justice has followed up the case of former political detainee Moamen Dawood since his arrest, as the Preventive Security in Qalqilya arrested him on 6.11.2022, until he was released by a decision of the Qalqilya Magistrate Court on a personal guarantee of one thousand Jordanian dinars on 11/20/2022. During his detention, Dawood suffered from health problems and suffocation as a result of being thrown into the dungeon of the Preventive Security in Qalqilya. Despite the health problems he suffered as a result of his arrest, the Preventive Security continued to interrogate him about his opinions posted on social media. However, when the Preventive Security referred his case to the Public Prosecution, it sent an investigation report that he was in possession of weapons, which contradicts the actual investigation they are conducting with him, this is for the purposes of persuading the Public Prosecution and the competent court to arrest him legally, considering the charge of possession of a weapon dangerous to public order and security, unlike posting opinions on social media, which are not considered a threat to security and public order. As the Palestinian security services always use such political charges to justify the arrest of political detainees, and accordingly; The result in these cases is either that they be preserved before being referred to the competent court, or that the detainee obtains an acquittal after referring his case to the court, as in the case of Dawood. Accordingly, the “Lawyers for Justice” group calls on all human rights institutions, local and international, to address the Office of the Attorney General and the Supreme Judicial Council, not to receive such cases in which the security services distort the reality of the actual investigation. … Lawyers for Justice January 9, 2023 To follow the news of the detainees, you can join Lawyers for Justice community via WhatsApp through the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CuJR94yuhGp6Tdod1K6Mpi
Lawyers For Justice is following with great concern the arrest of Basil Flayan, by the general intelligence service
On December 13, 2022, members of the general intelligence service arrested the two brothers, Basil and Baha Falayan, from the village of Burhan, in the district of Ramallah, this arrest came as part of a massive campaign of arrests launched by the Palestinian security services from the end of November until the end of December 2022, against the backdrop of political and partisan pluralism. Following their arrest, Bahaa was released and Basil was kept in administrative detention without going through the legal procedures followed and stipulated in the applicable criminal procedure Code.On 22.12.2022, Basil was transferred to the public prosecution and then to the Ramallah magistrate court, which extended his detention under the pretext of completing the investigation, and still rejects all requests for release on bail submitted to it.Basil’s file lacks the guarantees of a fair trial, which was represented by administrative detention without referral to the public prosecution, or knowing the charges against him, and then referring him to the public prosecution nine days after his arrest.Lawyers for Justice is deeply concerned about this type of detention, which violates the content of the Palestinian Basic Law, especially Articles (5, 9, and 19) thereof, and the agreements and treaties to which the State of Palestine has acceded, as well as the denial of fair trial guarantees.…Lawyers for Justice4, January 2023
Lawyers for Justice documented allegations of torture made by the political detainee Islam Bani Shamsa from Nablus
Today, Thursday, Sept 15, 2022, Lawyers for Justice group followed a court session for the young man Islam Bani Shamsa from Nablus, in which the Nablus Magistrate’s Court decided to extend his detention for 15 days pending investigation. The lawyer group reported that marks of a longitudinal bruise appeared on his neck from the left side, which the court examined during the session.Bani Shamsa also reported that he was beaten on the head and back, which prompted the court to request that he be referred to medical services. According to his family, the detainee, Bani Shamsa, was beaten during the process of his arrest by the General Intelligence Service in the city of Nablus, on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, and the detainee himself told the group’s lawyer that he is on hunger strike. For its part, the Public Prosecution has charged the detainee, Bani Shamsa, with three charges before the judiciary, to justify the extension of his detention, and these charges are used as a legal justification for the arrest process, while he is being investigated on a political background. Accordingly, Lawyers for Justice is calling for the urgent intervention of the immediate release of the political prisoner Bani Shamsa, whose signs of torture and ill-treatment clearly appeared before the court today, and to guarantee his health, safety, and life while continuing his hunger strike. The group also calls for the need to hold accountable those who assaulted Bani Shamsa, as guaranteed by the Palestinian Basic Law and the international human rights agreements to which Palestine has acceded, including the Anti-Torture Protocol to which the Palestinian Authority joined in 2017, and which the Palestinian President considered the main reference for the work of the National Anti-Torture Authority in accordance with Article (18) of Decree-Law No (25) 2022.
Allegations of torture made by political detainee Abdel-Wahhab Hamad
Lawyers for Justice denounces that the detainee Abd al-Wahhab Hamad, 21 years, from Nablus, was tortured during his detention at the Preventive Security forces, according to what he told the group’s lawyer today, Thursday, August 11, 2022. According to Hamad, he suffered a work injury in the shoulder before he got arrest. He was deliberately beaten on the place of injury, neck and head, during interrogation against a political background. During today’s court session, the Nablus Magistrate’s Court issued a decision to extend Hamad’s detention for 10 days, on the grounds of a political charge, at the request of the Public Prosecution to complete the investigation. The Preventive Security forces arrested Hamad on August 9, 2022, from his home after 1:30 at night. Lawyers for Justice is concerned about the allegations of torture made by Abdel Wahab Hamad, expresses its deep concern for his health, safety and security, makes an urgent appeal for his immediate release, and the accountability of those who beat him, and those who violated the Palestinian Basic Law and Human Rights in dealing with Hamad and the detainees Politicians with whom the group has previously documented allegations of torture.
New violations: more than 10 decisions to extend the detention of activists
Today, Sunday, July 24, 2022, the Jericho Court of First Instance extended the detention of fellow trainee lawyer Ahmed Al-Khasib, Jihad Wahdan, and Alaa Ghanem for 45 days, at the request of the Public Prosecution, and against a political background. The political detainees concluded last week with a series of extensions of their detention at the request of the Public Prosecution. The extension decisions followed up by Lawyers for Justice were as follows: – The Jericho Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of Birzeit University student Qassam Hamayel for 15 days, due to his student activity. – The Ramallah Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of Muhammad Mahmoud Sheikh, Muhammad Suleiman, Islam Arar, Anas Sahweil and Mahdi al-Rimawi for 15 days on a political ground. – The Jericho Court of First Instance extended the detention of Ahmed Harish and Munther Raheeb for 45 days on a political ground. – Ramallah Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of Muhammad Farouk Khaled for 7 days on a political ground.– The Jericho Magistrate’s Court extended Moath Saleh’s detention for 15 days. A Lawyers for Justice confirms that the charges attached to the detainees are politically motivated charges, far from any legal evidence, which was confirmed by the nature of the interrogation with the detainees, which takes a political turn. Lawyers for Justice condemns the continued detention of activists, human rights defenders, and citizens, some of whom will be close to two months after their arrest, without regard to public freedoms and the Palestinian Basic Law. The Lawyers for Justice group calls for all to stand as civil society institutions, human rights defenders and journalists, to move for the release of all detainees, and to stop the series of political arrests, which have escalated in the recent period.
The latest updates in the case of the accused in the assassination of political critic Nizar Banat
The trial session of the 14 whom are accused in the case of the assassination of the critic and political activist Nizar Banat; was held this morning, 03/07/2022, in the Military Court in Ramallah. All the accused were present, the defense attorney, a representative of Lawyers for Justice, and representatives of two other institutions, one local and one international to cover the progress of the trial. And It is worth noting that this is the first session a year after the assassination of Banat. And to expedite the completion of the trial, according to the defense attorney; He dispensed with the witness he had presented before (Major-General in Security), also he asked the court to give him a time limit, so that he and the competent authorities could bring an international expert from outside Palestine to present it as one of his evidence. The details of the expert’s name and address were not disclosed, due to the sensitivity of the expert’s name and to prevent any influence of public opinion on the expert. Then the defense attorney gave a copy of the letter in which the details of the international expert were included to the court, and asked them to reserve the letter, and include it in the trial papers without anyone viewing it. He also asked the court to assist in the procedures for bringing the international expert to Palestine, which needs time up to two months, and also for his desire to benefit from the judicial leave from 15/07/2022 until 01/09/2022. The court agreed to the defense attorney’s request that the next session be the last period for summoning witnesses from his side, thus, the next session will be on Tuesday, 06/09/2022 at 10:00 am.
The political detainee Ahmad Hraish is being tortured
Lawyers for Justice group requests an urgent call for immediate intervention, in order to release political detainee Ahmed Hraish, who has been detained since 6/6/2022 by the intelligence agency in Jericho, related to what is known as the Beituniya carpentry case. The group, since 14/06/2022, mentioned in a statement that the detainee Hraish had stated earlier in the Jericho Magistrate’s Court that he had been subjected to torture, as following: “I am in Jericho’s prison cells since a week, they used strappado or corda (which the victim’s hands are tied behind his back and the victim is suspended by a rope attached to the wrists), my face is fully covered i couldn’t see anything through the cover, i was being hung and beaten with sticks and rubber, they used Falaka with me (Foot whipping, or bastinado is a method of inflicting pain and humiliation by administering a beating on the soles of a person’s bare feet) then they told me to stand up and dance. I’ve been tortured by bricks, iron, running reverse, and other torturing methods..”. Then, on 28/06/2022, Hraish stated in front of the Judge Diab al-Qawasmeh again, that he was constantly being tortured by the intelligence agaency in Jericho after the extension of the detention session, which took place on 14/06/2022. Yesterday, the detainee Hraish also declared before the General Attorney that he had been subjected to torture, and stated that there were efforts to compel him to accept very serious criminal charges that undermine his reputation and patriotism. The group requests an URGENT call for immediate intervention, and it is in the process of addressing all the competent official authorities in order to ensure the opening of a serious investigation into allegations of torture, and to demand the prosecution of a complaint of torture in accordance with due process of law fair trial.
Public opinion statement on the continuation of mass political arrests and arrests based on opinion
Lawyers for Justice group is following the mass of political arrests and arrests based on exercising constitutional rights, carried out by the executive authority, which has taken a noticeably escalating trend since the beginning of this June. The group has recorded, as part of its direct follow-up, more than 63 arrests, distributed among the cities of the occupied West Bank. For administrative detention, 4 of them are under the custody of the governor of Qalqilya, while one case was referred to the governor of Ramallah and two cases were released later. The types of the charges in these files varied between stirring up strife and racism, illegal gathering, accusations of collecting and receiving illegal funds, possession of a weapon without a license, and slander against the authority. During this period, the group has continued following up the mass arrests that followed what was known as the Beitounia carpentry case, where about twenty people were arrested regarding this case. Later on the majority of the detainees were released in this case, but some detainees were referred to the Joint Investigation Committee, or what is known as the Security Committee in Jericho. Where one of the detainees raised claims of torture in front of the judge of the Jericho Magistrate’s Court, while some lawyers present in the vicinity of the court mentioned seeing traces on the face of the detainee; lawyer Ahmed Khasib, suggesting that he was subjected to torture, before the aforementioned detainee later denied being tortured during his interrogation by the Public Prosecution in Jericho. The group also monitored the arrest and detention of 15 people among the aforementioned detainees based on “we want to live” movement in the city of Hebron, after the dispersal the demonstrators who were rejecting the exorbitant price hike in basic goods and services, 8 of them were referred to the security committee in Jericho, before all detainees were released on that case, after efforts made by the Independent Commission for Human Rights ICHR. The group also documented the exposure of the detainee Suleiman Qatash; He was later released, for being beaten by Preventive Security agents in front of the court, while he was being returned to the detention center, in addition to the aforementioned claim, during his interrogation in front the Ramallah Prosecution, that he was beaten by the aforementioned entity. Accordingly, the group confirms that all these arrests listed within the framework of political arrests on the basis of political affiliation, and all these arrests take place without the presence or presentation of any arrest warrant from the competent authorities, which is considered a violation of the Palestinian Basic Law and international human rights conventions. The group also confirms that if it is proven that any detainee has been beaten or tortured, these acts must be pursuited as it is considered a crime punishable by law, requiring the intervention of the Attorney General. And stopping the summons, out of respect for the Palestinian Basic Law, from which the political system derives its law, and the need to stop the policy of political arrest and detention based on exercising guaranteed constitutional rights. The group notes that it has documented hundreds of arrests during the period following the assassination of the late political critic Nizar Banat.