An urgent appeal for the release of political detainee Basil Flayan
Update: Despite the obtainment of two decisions to release the political detainee and released prisoner, Basil Flayan, and his previous detention before being referred to court for a period of nine days illegally, and the allegations of torture he raised, the General Intelligence is intransigent and refuses to abide by court decisions to release Flayan. Accordingly, “Lawyers for Justice” group regrets the continuous decline in the level of the human rights situation in the West Bank, and the exclusiveness of the executive authority in issuing decisions and implementing them as it pleases. And considering this brief statement as an urgent appeal to all human rights institutions, local and international, to press for the immediate release of the detainee Flayan, and all those detained illegally and arbitrarily. … Lawyers for Justice January 17, 2023
“Lawyers for Justice” group obtains a decision to release the political detainee, and released prisoner, Basil Flayan.
Today, “Lawyers for Justice” group obtained a decision to release the political prisoner, Basil Flayan, by Ramallah’s first instance court in its appeal capacity, in return for providing a personal guarantee to the court of 500 Jordanian dinars; After the group appealed the Ramallah magistrate court’s decision to reject the release request. It is noteworthy that Flayan was arrested by the general intelligence on December 13, 2022 as part of a wide campaign of political arrests launched by the Palestinian security agencies, and the general intelligence kept him administratively detained without going through legal procedures until December 22, 2022. Then they referred his case to the public prosecution office, which charged him with political charges, until he obtained a release decision from the Ramallah magistrate court. However, the general intelligence refused to release him, and on January 8, 2023 they referred a new case to the public prosecution that they had attached to him, and again, the public prosecution charged him with a new political charge, until the date of the release decision that the group obtained today. It is noteworthy that the detainee Flayan had mentioned before the Ramallah Magistrate Court allegations of torture and ill-treatment, which they torture with special techniques called ( Shabeh) which means hanging human being into the ceiling from their hands and whipping them with plastic tubes. … Lawyers for Justice January 17, 2023
Postponing the trial session of those accused of killing the martyr Nizar Banat until January 29, 2023
Today, January 15, 2023, a trial session was held for the 14 members of the preventive security, accused of killing the martyr Nizar Banat, in the Special Military Court. The fourteen defendants were represented in this session, in addition to the presence of a representative of the military prosecution, and a lawyer from “Lawyers for Justice” group as an observer of fair trial guarantees, in addition to some colleagues representatives of human rights institutions, and it was noted that the defense attorney was absent. In this session, the representative of the military prosecution submitted to the special court a letter issued by the Palestinian Bar Association stating that there is a strike and suspension of work before the courts, and based on that, he requested to postpone the court session, which the court postponed until January 29, 2023. Accordingly, the “Lawyers for Justice” group considers this statement as an invitation to human rights organizations, local and international, to attend the next court session, to ensure that the sessions proceed fairly and without delay. … Lawyers for Justice January 15, 2023
The public prosecution refers the case of the Beit Sira detainees to the competent court
The day before yesterday, Thursday, January 12, 2023, the public prosecution referred the case of the Beit Sira detainees, Hamdan Wawi, Muhammad Arafat Hamdan, Mujahid Alqam; To the extension court, after interrogating them on Wednesday about a charge usually directed against political detainees, the extension court issued a decision requiring their release in exchange for a personal guarantee of 1,000 Jordanian dinars each. However, this decision was not implemented. On the same day, the public prosecution referred their case to the competent court, which decided to postpone their trial session to March 15, 2023, in order to allow the public prosecution to present its evidence, while keeping them in detention until the end of the trial procedures. … Lawyers for Justice January 14, 2023
Four release decisions issued by courts that the executive authority did not care about, followed by detention at the discretion of the governor, in which the political prisoner loses his grandmothers without allowing them to say goodbye to them.
The “Lawyers for Justice” group has followed up the detention of the political detainee, Muhammad Allawi, since September 1, 2022, by the Palestinian security agencies, During which he obtained his first release order from the Nablus Magistrate Court on September 12, 2022, indeed, he was released, until he went to collect his deposits the next day, and the security agencies re-arrested him without a legal basis. After that, he obtained three release decisions. Two from the Nablus Magistrate Court, and one from the Jericho Magistrate Court, but these decisions were not implemented. Allawi is now languishing in the security committee headquarter in Jericho, after he was arbitrarily and illegally arrested by the governor of Nablus, in a grave violation of the Code of Criminal Procedure. According to the allegations of his relatives; Allawi is going through a very bad psychological state, because of his arrest, and his continued detention for a period of more than four months, and his presence in the headquarters of the security committee reflected negatively on his psyche. In addition, his arrest at the headquarter of the security committee is in violation of the provisions of Article (182) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which prohibits the transfer of spatial jurisdiction to any court except with certain controls, and that is when its consideration in the circuit of the competent court would prejudice public security. On December 10, 2022, Allawi’s family met, as well as the families of the rest of the illegally detained political detainees, and they went out in a peaceful march; However, this march was suppressed by the Palestinian security agencies. About a month ago, Allawi’s grandmother passed away, and he was prevented from saying goodbye to her and/or participating in the funeral ceremonies. In the same context, at dawn yesterday his second grandmother died, and he was also prevented from having a farewell look. Accordingly; The “Lawyers for Justice” group considers this statement as a notification to the Attorney General or one of his assistants, first to report an illegally arrested detainee, and also to speed up his release so that he can participate in his grandmother’s funeral ceremonies. … Lawyers for Justice January 13, 2023
“Lawyers for Justice” group follows five detainees on the grounds of their participation in demonstrations condemning the arrest of political detainee Musab Shtayeh and his fellows
The “Lawyers for Justice” group followed five detainees on the grounds of their participation in demonstrations condemning the arrest of the political detainee Musab Shtayyeh and his fellows, one of them in Nablus, and the others in Tulkarem. Yesterday, the Palestinian security agencies referred the detainee, Ayman Rashid, from Nablus, to the public prosecution. He was interrogated on charges of illegal assembly, and at the same time they extended his detention for 24 hours; and today, the Nablus Magistrate Court extended his detention for 10 days. In the same context; Yesterday, the General Intelligence Service in Tulkarem released Khader Dhiab and Mahmoud Alaria, while Ghaith Mahawi and Omar Freij are still administratively detained without going through legal procedures. Accordingly; The Lawyers for Justice group affirms the right of individuals to demonstrate, as well as their right to adopt and embrace opinions. … Lawyers for Justice January 12, 2023
Lawyers For Justice met today with the director of the European Union’s political affairs department
Lawyers for Justice met today with the director of the European Union’s political affairs department, Mr. Ramesh De Silva, to discuss the human rights situation in the West Bank, Mr. de Silva explained the role of the European Union in protecting human rights, protecting human rights defenders in Palestine, and facilitating the work of the Lawyers for Justice group. In his role, lawyer Muhannad Karajeh, Director of Lawyers for Justice, explained the violations against human rights in the West Bank , as well as the group’s role in defending human rights defenders in the West Bank since the group’s founding in 2011. Mr. de Silva conveyed the concern of the European Union about the human rights violations reported by the Lawyers for Justice group, and renewed the European Union’s support for the group, and at the same time the European Union’s interest in reviewing such violations, to transfer them to the Palestinian Authority to pressure at them to stop it. … Lawyers for Justice January 11, 2023
A position issued by the Lawyers for Justice group on the security services’ suppression of the demonstration demanding the release of political detainees
Lawyers for Justice followed with great concern the events in Nablus, the suppression of the Palestinian security services to the demonstration, demanding the release of political detainees, the arrest of some demonstrators, firing gas bombs at them, as well as the assault on journalists while they were covering this demonstration. The group monitored the practice of the security forces as a suppression of freedom of opinion and expression, which contravenes article (19) of the Palestinian basic law, which states, “There is no prejudice to freedom of opinion, and every person has the right to express and publish his opinion verbally, in writing, or by other means of expression or art taking into account the provisions of the law.” It also contravenes Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers” Lawyers for Justice also condemns the continuation of political arrests, and the assault on journalists while carrying out their duties and conveying the truth to citizens. Accordingly; Lawyers for Justice group asserts that the repression of any peaceful demonstration is an assault on a constitutional right, and an explicit violation of the Palestinian basic law that guarantees public freedoms for citizens within the scope of the law, and renews the call to guarantee freedom of opinion and expression, and guarantee freedom of affiliation, work and political participation which guaranteed by the basic law, And human rights agreements to which the Palestinian Authority committed itself. … Lawyers for Justice January 10, 2023
Despite the allegations of torture raised by the political detainee, Mazyid Saqf Al-Hait; Nablus Magistrate Court extends his detention for five days
The Nablus Magistrate Court extended the detention of the political activist and critic of the Palestinian Authority, Mazyid Saqf Al-Hait, for a period of five days. The Preventive Security in Nablus had arrested Saqf Al-Hait on January 7, after his arrest, the Preventive Security stormed his house and searched his belongings. Today, Saqf Al-Hait told the court, in the presence of Lawyers for Justice, that he was beaten and ill-treated during his arrest and during his detention at the Preventive Security Service, but the court extended his detention under the pretext of the seriousness of the charge to the public order and security. Accordingly, Lawyers for Justice is deeply concerned about the continued detention of the activist Saqfi al-Hait, which may be a prelude to the Preventive Security forces continuing to torture him. … Lawyers for Justice January 10, 2023
Signing a memorandum of understanding with the legal clinic at the Faculty of Law and Public Administration at Birzeit University
Yesterday, Monday ,January 9, 2023, Lawyers for Justice signed a memorandum of understanding with the legal clinic at the Faculty of Law and Public Administration at Birzeit University, for the purposes of defining the foundations of joint cooperation between the two parties, and in particular the mechanisms of working with the legal clinic unit in the college. The memorandum was signed by the representative of Birzeit University, Dr. Mahmoud Dodin / Dean of the Faculty of Law, and a representative of the Lawyers for Justice group, Lawyer Muhannad Karajah / Director of the group, in the presence of Lawyer Thafer Saida from the group. head of the law department, Dr. Muhammad Al-Qaisi. And assistant professor dean Noor Matour. The supervisor of the legal clinic, professor Muhammad Khader. And research and teaching assistants in the legal clinic. Dr. Dodin welcomed representatives of the “Lawyers for Justice” group, and pointed out the importance of signing this memorandum, in addition to the importance and role of the group in defending cases of political and administrative detention, especially defending the cases of Birzeit University students. He also asserted that this memorandum is the culmination of continuous cooperation between the college and the group. For his part, lawyer Muhannad highlighted the importance of the partnership with Birzeit University in enhancing and developing the students’ practical skills, in addition to spreading the societal legal culture, specifically in the field of political and administrative detention cases. He also referred to the reality and contribution of the legal clinic students in working on the cases that the group is currently working on. In his turn, Lawyer Thafer commented on the practical reality and issues of political detention and the role of the various State Apparatuses in these cases, and pointed out the importance of concerted efforts to discuss these issues from different angles, and the role of the diverse academic environment in providing the foundations for this discussion. Muhammad Al-Khidr asserted the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties in defining the clinic’s strategies and work mechanisms in implementing its activities in a way that leads to achieving its goals and objectives, and pointed to the clinic’s role in creating different communication channels between the academic and applied community sides, in order to qualify students and achieve their benefits. For his part, the Head of the Law Department, Dr. Al-Qaisi stated that this memorandum will be a basis for developing the benefits and relationship with the Lawyers for Justice group, whether in terms of developing students’ abilities or in terms of developing the academic path of the college, and this partnership will be taken into account when reviewing the plans and activities of the department in the future. It is noteworthy that strengthening the relationship with the legal clinic at Birzeit University aims to expand the areas of future cooperation and comes within the framework of the institutionalization of the legal clinic which activities are supported by the United Nations Development Program, the Sawasya 2 project, and helps in enhancing its ability to provide legal services to vulnerable groups and also to develop students’ practical skills through their participation in programs based on dealing with real issues and developing legal and human rights initiatives in order to strengthen the rule of law and respect for human rights, monitoring fair trial guarantees, confronting human rights violations, advocating human rights issues. … Lawyers for Justice January 10, 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