The Public Prosecution extends the detention of those arrested on the basis of the participation in the funeral of the martyr Abdel Fattah Kharousha
Today, March 12, 2023, the Public Prosecution in Nablus extended the detention of Samir Hobeisha and the student at An-Najah University, Yaman Dweikat, who are detained by the General Intelligence, on the basis of participating in the funeral of the martyr Abd al-Fattah Kharousha. The detainee Dweikat raised the issue of being subjected to torture, represented by the shabeh, for a day and a half, by the General Intelligence forces, while the Public Prosecution charged him and the detainee Hobeisha with a charge of slander against the authority, during their interrogation. It is noteworthy that the arrest of Hobeisha and Dweikat came within the framework of a wide campaign of arrests launched by the Palestinian security services among the participants whom the security forces accused of participating in the funeral of the martyr Abdel Fattah Kharousha. This campaign of arrests began after the suppression of the martyr’s funeral procession … Lawyers for Justice March 12, 2023
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, “Lawyers for Justice” group launches an urgent appeal to stop the prosecution of activist Dr. Zahra Khdrouj.
The “Lawyers for Justice” group condemns the repeated and almost daily summons carried out by the Palestinian security agencies against the feminist and political activist, Dr. Zahra Khdrouj, and the executive director of the Asfour Cultural Center. According to the activist Khdrouj; The campaign of continuous harassment against her by the Palestinian Authority security services began, since last June, three weeks after the opening of the Asfour Cultural Center, registered with the Ministry of National Economy, which began with being summoned by the Preventive Security Service in Qalqilya, and interrogated about the center’s cultural, national and political activities that usually target children and youth. The activist Khdrouj added; After her appearance before the Preventive Security Service for the first time, the summons that the Palestinian security services carried out against her were repeated, and it became almost daily. However, she refused to appear after the first time, and after that the harassment varied to include inciting the guests of the center not to attend its activities, in addition to issuing a decision to seize the on her bank accounts last August. In the same context, the harassment of the activist Khdrouj was not limited to the harassment of the Palestinian security services only, but also extended to violations and harassment by the occupation, to prevent her from traveling, and entering the occupied territories. Therefore, in conjunction with International Women’s Day; The “Lawyers for Justice” group launched an urgent appeal to stop the prosecution of activist Dr. Khdrouj, and calls on all local and international institutions to put pressure on the Palestinian Authority to stop pursuing her, and to enable her to complete her activities. … Lawyers for Justice March 10, 2023
Halhoul Magistrates Court refuses to release the political detainee and the student, Ahmad Alqam.
Today, March 5, 2023, Halhoul Magistrates Court rejected the release request, which was submitted by the family of the political detainee and the student at the Bethlehem Institute, Ahmed Aqam. The Preventive Security forces arrested Alqam on March 1, 2023, before referring his file to the public prosecution, who was accused of political charges, to cover up his unjustified detention. Accordingly; The “Lawyers for Justice” group condemns political arrests that violate the right of political and partisan pluralism, especially the arrest of students, which today affects their academic lives and their professional life. In the same context ; The group requires human rights institutions to put pressure on the preventive security to release Alqam, as well as to put pressure on the General Intelligence to release the student Washaha, who is being held at its headquarters in Ramallah … Lawyers for Justice March 5, 2023
The General Intelligence releases a witness to martyr Nizar Banat assassination.
Today, March 5, 2023, the Public Prosecution issued a decision to release the political activist, the cousin of the martyr Nizar Banat, and one of the witnesses to his assassination, Ammar Banat. Forces from the General Intelligence arrested the political activist, Ammar Banat, from his workplace in Hebron, Thursday, March 2, 2023. This is not the first time he has been arrested, but his arrest has been repeated since the assassination of the martyr Nizar Banat to pressure him not to testify before the Special Military Court at first, and to express his opinion in the case of the assassination of Nizar Banat and other public issues. … Lawyers for Justice March 5, 2023
The “Lawyers for Justice” group condemns the continued campaign of arrests by the security agencies against citizens and political activist
#statement #Suppression_of_freedoms The “Lawyers for Justice” group condemns the continued campaign of arrests by the security agencies against citizens and political activists, which has increased since the beginning of this year. The group indicates that, since the beginning of the year, it has monitored the arrest and summons of tens of citizens as part of the policy of suppressing freedoms, which has taken a dangerous turn since the summer of 2021, following the assassination of the political activist, Nizar Banat. The group notes that the policy of suppressing freedoms clearly extends to public rights and freedoms, including freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of political affiliation, which are constitutional rights that must be respected and preserved. In this context, the group condemns what the security forces have done since the day before yesterday by suppressing the press conference that was supposed to be hosted by the Watan Agency, and preventing it from taking place. In addition to the arrest of student and journalist Moath Washaha by the Palestinian General Intelligence in Ramallah. The group also condemns the arrest of political activist Ammar Banat yesterday by the security agencies who do not wear military uniforms, without presenting an arrest warrant that would allow them to arrest Banat. Due to the inability of lawyers to represent citizens arbitrarily detained outside the scope of the law before the Public Prosecution and the courts due to the strike of the Bar Association, the group refers to the “use of the right of silence” that allows every detainee not to answer any questions during interrogation before the Public Prosecution The group also confirms the illegality of any interrogation or investigation carried out by the security agencies, as it is a non-competent body and has no authority to investigate or arrest without an official arrest warrant. Accordingly, the group calls for the immediate release of all detainees in all cities, respect for judicial rulings, and an end to the policy of suppressing freedoms. Lawyers for Justice March, 3 2023
For the third consecutive time; the Magistrate’s Court in Ramallah extended the detention of political detainee Yaman Berat.
Today, Wednesday, March 1, 2023, the Magistrate Court in Ramallah extended the detention of political detainee Yaman Berat for a period of seven days, It justified this extension by saying, “The charge against the accused is one of the charges that affect public order and security, to preserve it, and to give the Public Prosecution an opportunity to complete its investigative procedures and build an integrated investigation file.” The Preventive Security has arrested Berat since February 8, 2023, and during his detention he was subjected to beatings and torture. The “Lawyers for Justice” group expresses concern about the extension of his detention, which may be related to the continuation of physical torture. Accordingly; The group condemns all political arrests, as well as violating the physical integrity of detainees, from which all international and national conventions and norms are prohibited, as it is clear in the text of Article (5) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading” on the inadmissibility of violating physical integrity.
Yesterday, Sunday, the Special Military Court in Ramallah postponed the trial of the defendants in the case of the murder of political dissident Nizar Banat until March 13, 2023.
Yesterday, Sunday, February 26, 2023, a session was held in the Special Military Court in Ramallah, for those accused of killing the political opponent and candidate for the canceled legislative elections, the martyr Nizar Banat. The session was held in the presence of the full court, the representative of the Military Prosecution, and thirteen of the fourteen defendants. The “Lawyers for Justice” group attended the session as an observer of fair trial guarantees, in addition to the presence of some colleagues representing local and international institutions for the same purpose. The group noted the absence of the defense lawyer due to a comprehensive strike by the Bar Association, as well as the absence of the fourteenth defendant (Y.A), whose absence was justified by the Military Prosecution by the death of one of his relatives. Based on the foregoing, the court postponed the case until March 13, 2023 due to the strike in the Bar Association, provided that the fourteenth defendant and his lawyer are notified of the date of the next session. … Lawyers for Justice February 27, 2023
“Ongoing Crisis” The Systematic Nature of the Suppression of Freedoms in the West Bank/ The summary
The “Lawyers for Justice” group Annual Report 2021-2022 “Ongoing Crisis” The Systematic Nature of the Suppression of Freedoms in the West Bank The summary The year 2021 marked a qualitative difference in the human rights situation in the West Bank; the pace of violations escalated dramatically, especially after the assassination of the political critic “Nizar Banat” by forces from the security agencies, the techniques used by the security agencies to suppress public rights and freedoms varied, reaching the highest levels of repression. Lawyers for Justice followed up the deterioration of public rights and freedoms in the West Bank during the year, and the harassment, assault and repression that citizens were subjected to due to their practices of those rights. Accordingly; This report deals with civil and political rights in international conventions compared to Palestinian national legislation, these include the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to peaceful assembly, the right to life, the right to physical and psychological integrity, the right to participate in political life, and the right to litigation and fair trial guarantees, it also reviews the reality of exercising those rights in the occupied West Bank. The group monitored and documented all the cases it followed, in addition to the cases that had a great resonance and impact on the Palestinian street, including the trial sessions of the late “Banat” in the annual report for the second year since the declaration of the state of emergency, which covers the period from (March 2021) to (March 2022), where the number of cases of political arrests increased significantly, and all peaceful demonstrations and assemblies were suppressed, and the method of threats and extortion was used against demonstrators, both males and females, the report also dealt with the harassment and distortion that the group was subjected to, with the aim of hindering its work in protecting human rights, the report also highlighted the continuous targeting of activists and human rights defenders, whether in arrests or summonses by the security agencies.
Repeated accusations against detainees (March 2021 – March 2022)
Most of the interrogated persons were charged with “weapon possession”, and “raising/ collecting fund for illegal organizations”; in order to extend their detention before the court. There were 13 university students among the arrested persons and 5 journalists were arrested due to their activism and work in journalism You can view the electronic copy of the annual report (March 2021-March 2022), entitled ” Ongoing Crisis: The Systematic Nature of the Suppression of Freedoms in the West Bank” through the following link: https://lawyers4justice.ps/ongoing-crisis-the-systematic-nature-of-the-suppression-of-freedoms-in-the-west-bank/ #Ongoing_Crisis
The “Lawyers for Justice” group condemns in the strongest terms the non-compliance of the security agencies with court decisions
Yesterday, the Magistrate’s Court in Nablus issued a decision to release the political detainee, Riad Abu Al-Hassan, after his family fulfilled the personal guarantee procedures approved by the court as a precondition for his release. However, the Preventive Security refused to comply with the decision of the Magistrate Court in Nablus to release Abu Al-Hassan, and referred him to the Public Prosecution, under arrest pending a new file, as an attempt to cover up his arrest with a legal cover. Abu Al-Hassan was arrested on February 12, 2023 by the Preventive Security Service, two days after the home of his father, lawyer Faris Abu Al-Hassan, was stormed by tens of members of the Preventive Security Service in an attempt to arrest him. However, his absence from the house thwarted this first attempt, which did not carry with it any judicial orders allowing him to be arrested or his house searched. And accordingly; Lawyers for Justice condemns, in the strongest terms, the security services’ transgression of court decisions. Specifically in the cases of political detainees, and keeping the detainees in detention despite the issuance of judicial decisions to release them. Arrest them, and search their homes without legal basis. Therefore, the “Lawyers for Justice” group regrets the continuation of violations against detainees against the backdrop of political and partisan pluralism, especially the executive authority’s uniqueness in making decisions and implementing them according to its whims. … Lawyers for Justice February 23, 2023