Nablus Magistrate’s Court has extended the arrest of the citizen Muzed Saqf Alhayt for 15 days upon the request of the Nablus Prosecutor’s Office
Thursday 23-5-2024, The Nablus Magistrate’s Court, extended the arrest of the citizen Muzed Saqf Alhayt for 15 days upon the request of the Nablus Prosecutor’s Office for the purpose of completing the investigation. On Wednesday 22-5-2024, the Nablus Preventive Security Service arrested the human rights activist Saqf Alhayt , after breaking into his house and attacked him with rifle butts on his head and body, and insulted him in front of his wife and children. His arrest came after a campaign of incitement and threats targeted by social media groups by Palestinian Security Agency, this was a part of a policy of targeting human rights defenders with the goal of intimidating them to prevent activists from expressing their opinions guaranteed by Palestinian Constitutional Law. This arrest isn’t the first one to Saqf Alhayt against the backdrop of his political views and expression of opinion, where he is currently is being tried before the Palestinian judiciary for contempt of power, against the backdrop of criticism of the Palestinian Authority, but is remarkable in this arrest; Severe beatings, which have become a threat to his life. During the interrogation on Thursday morning of 23-5-2024 in front of the Nablus Prosecutor’s Office, the activist further raised his continued beatings and torture by the Preventive Security Service. This was documented in the interrogation transcript. Nevertheless, the Prosecutor’s Office took no action to protect him from beatings and torture. Lawyers for Justice considers the conduct of the Public Prosecutor ‘ Represents a disregard for the safety and security of detainees held by security services against the background of their human rights activity and expression of opinion. The group cautions that such conduct gives legal cover to repression and torture, The group therefore calls on the Public Prosecutor Office to intervene in order to protect the detainee, and release him immediately and ensure that his arrest does not continue at his current detention center. This statement is considered an urgent appeal for immediate intervention Lawyers For Justice notes that since the beginning of May, dozens of citizens have been arrested in the largest toll of detainees against a political background and the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression since the beginning of Israel’s aggression against the Gaza Strip on October 7. This calls into question the seriousness of the new Palestinian Government’s announcement on improving the situation of public rights and freedoms. Till here, Lawyers for Justice issued in 27/5/2024.
Postponement of trial of alleged murderers of political and human rights activist Nizar Banat.
The trial of the accused in the case of the murder of political and human rights activist Nizar Banat was held at the Ramallah Military Court on Monday, 20-5-2024 During the trial, the defense counsel of all 14 previously released defendants, presented to the court witness Samir Abu Zarour, who’s retired since 2017. He was the head of the autopsy department of the Ministry of Justice. prior to his retirement in 2017. He represented the Independent Human Rights Commission in attendance at the autopsy of the late Nizar Banat following his murder on 24 July 2021 without participating in the autopsy. During the ongoing trial since September 2021, the court heard the testimony of the doctor and he was discussed by the defense counsel and the military prosecution. He also stated that he hadn’t applied for the examination, and what can be highlighted in this context is the assertion by the defense witness of the accused that the cause of death of Nizar Banat was due to an abnormal cause of death. In addition to determining the proportion of injuries on the dead person’s body by 21% of the body area, Distributed on the head, face and shoulder from the back, upper and lower limbs and back area, The witness also stated that these blows to the deceased’s body did not result to death, according to him. And the witness concluded that the cause of death, according to the autopsy committee, was caused by traumatic trauma resulting in death, the cause of death, from the witness’ point of view, was due to asphyxiation because of congestion in the face of the deceased, as described. At the end of the trial proceedings, the defense counsel requested to notice a witness and to be brought, and also requested that the next trial hearing be confidential, so that the testimony of the said witness would relate to national security, for that reasons, next hearing was postponed to 3.6-2024. In this context, Lawyer for Justice considers that the holding of the trial to be confidential contravenes the revolutionary Code of Criminal Procedure in force of 1979 and its amendments. Till here, Lawyers for Justice Issued in 21/5/2024.
Lawyers for justice condemns the acts of security services for suppressing a peaceful protest that was held today in Ramallah to denounce the ongoing war and attacks against Gaza.
Lawyers for justice condemns the acts of security services for suppressing a peaceful protest that was held today in Ramallah to denounce the ongoing war and attacks against Gaza. During, the security services were present in both civil and military clothing, as repression occurred, assaults on children took place and while filming the demonstration, and personal sources also varied according to what was distinguished by attendance. During the past week, a solidarity march with prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons was suppressed as a result of what they had been subjected to since October 7. During the march, the protestors were suppressed. The group documented the attack and wounding of a prisoner’s son by security agents who suppressed the demonstration. The group also condemns the continued suppression practiced by security services, which breaches constitutional rights stipulated by the Palestinian constitutional law, and the increasing pace of political arrests that has targeted dozens of civilians over the past two weeks in various cities in The West bank under the grounds of opinion expression and political affiliation. the group also assures that the cases of repression and arbitrary arrests reflects the lack of seriousness of the decisions and statements issued by the new government related to correcting the conditions of public freedoms, and also contradicts the decree-law issued by the head of authority approving the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights within the system of national laws that guarantee civil and political rights and freedoms. Till here, Lawyers for Justice Issued in 10-5-2024.
Public opinion statement issued by Lawyers for Justice about the murder of the citizen Ahmad Abu Al Foul
Lawyers for Justice condemns the shooting of the citizen Ahmad Abu Al Foul that took place in Tulkarem Wednesday’ s night 1/5/2024, Ahmad Abu Alfol was shot by security services while he was traveling in his car on the public road. Which caused a severe injury, later on the hospital declared him dead. The spokesman for the security services issued a statement announcing that security agents had shot fire on Ahmad Abu Al Foul for allegedly responding to gunfire against the said agencies. The group considers the statement to be an acknowledgement of the murder of Ahmed Abu Faul and in anticipation of any official investigation results with the security force. Lawyers for Justice assures that the murder of citizen Ahmad Abu Al Foul follows a series of similar murders, the eighth case in which citizens were shot dead by the security services over the past seven months, following the event of October 7th, the last murder that took place on the citizen Mutasim Al Aref in early April, as well as the injuries of many citizens over the past months during attempts while arresting. Lawyers for Justice implies that not all homicides involving citizens have been investigated since the 7 of October, leading to the accountability of those involved. Since the beginning of 2024, Lawyers for Justice has monitored the killing of citizens, including a boy Ahmed al-Obaidi, 17, early in January this year. The boy, Mohammed Arasan, was 17 years old in March, and a citizen, Mutasim AL Aref, who was injured at the end of March on 2-4-2024, was pronounced dead. In addition, Qais Saadi and Khalil Hanbali were injured during their arrest attempt. Therefore, Lawyers for Justice calls for the need for immediate and serious actions by those concerned and those responsible for the implementation and application of the law by the public prosecutor and the Military public prosecutor to ensure that the provisions of the law are activated and those involved in the murder of Abu Foul and previous murders are prosecuted, and that any legal cover that prevents them from being held accountable is lifted in compliance with the law. Lawyers for Justice also points to the need to reverse the justification language issued by the security institutions in order to justify these crimes, which is also aimed at creating conditions in which the killing of innocent citizens is facilitated without reasons or justification. In this context, Lawyers for Justice also affirms that the continued prosecution of activists is incompatible with constitutional rights approved by the Palestinian Constitutional Law, Its conduct was a crime of legitimate acts in the exercise of the right to self-determination. Lawyers for Justice Issued in 2-5-2024.
Lawyers for Justice are closely monitoring the escalating campaign of political arrests and the increasing repression carried out by the security agencies
Lawyers for Justice are closely monitoring the escalating campaign of political arrests and the increasing repression carried out by the security agencies since the beginning of the current month. The group has observed a rise in cases of arrests based on the exercise of freedom of opinion and expression. During this month, the group documented the arrests of three citizens by the Preventive Security Service due to their exercise of freedom of opinion and expression. Among them were the journalist Aqeel Awawdah, citizen Mohammed Hareebat, and Sheikh Mustafa Abu Ara, who were later released on bail. The Public Prosecution has charged the mentioned individuals with various accusations, including defamation against the authority, incitement to racial hatred, and slander against the President, relying on the Penal Code and the Cybercrime Law. Lawyers for Justice view these arrests as arbitrary and not grounded in the law, as they violate the Palestinian Basic Law and international human rights conventions. The group calls for an immediate cessation of these arrests and urges authorities to refrain from pursuing citizens on such grounds. Additionally, the group demands the cancellation of the Cybercrime Law (Law No. 4 of 2018), which was enacted by the Executive Authority with the aim of silencing voices and limiting legitimate criticism on social media. It is worth noting that all cases brought under this law, related to freedom of opinion and expression, have resulted in judicial acquittals. The group believes that resorting to the deprivation of freedom and the detention of citizens based on their exercise of freedom of opinion and expression on social media falls under abuse of power and represents a deviation from the Palestinian Basic Law. This statement was issued by Lawyers for Justice on 27th July 2023.
The second appeal session filed by “Lawyers for Justice” group against the decision issued by the Ministry of Economy, which imposed restrictions on its registration, is scheduled to take place.
The second session regarding the appeal filed by “Lawyers for Justice” group against the decision issued by the Ministry of Economy, which imposed restrictions on its registration, is scheduled to be held tomorrow, June 21, 2023, at the Administrative Court in Ramallah. This appeal is in response to the decision made by the Ministry of Economy in Ramallah on March 26, 2023, which restricted the group’s registration as a civil company based on instructions from the General Intelligence Agency, as communicated to the group. Furthermore, the first session of the aforementioned appeal was held on June 7 of the current month, during which the court adjourned for further examination of the evidence presented by the group. The group reaffirms its commitment, as stated in previous statements, to continue its work that began in 2011, defying all deliberate obstacles it faces, in order to persist in defending human rights. In the same context, the group has been monitoring since the beginning of June, 23 cases of arbitrary arrests, 15 of which are related to political and party plurality, 7 arrests related to student union activities, and one arrest related to freedom of opinion and expression. Therefore, “Lawyers for Justice” group calls upon all colleagues in legal institutions to stand with the group and support it in its legal battle until the unjust decision against it is overturned. … Lawyers for Justice June 20, 2023
The “Lawyers for Justice” group has documented twenty cases of arbitrary arrests since the beginning of June
The group “Lawyers for Justice” closely monitors the alarming escalation of arbitrary arrests carried out by the Palestinian security forces. This campaign has targeted university students, political activists, and human rights defenders. Since the beginning of June, the group has documented 20 cases of arbitrary arrests, conducted by the Preventive Security Service and the General Intelligence Service. The backgrounds and numbers of the detainees documented by the group are distributed as follows: thirteen arrests on the basis of political and party pluralism, six arrests related to university election results, including the arrest of a staff member at Birzeit University, and one arrest related to freedom of opinion and expression. The group has also noticed attempts by the security agencies to circumvent the law through attempts to legitimize detentions. Additionally, they have endangered the rights of detainees by fabricating new charges against them or re-detaining them under the pretext of review or appeal. In addition, the group has observed the presence of signs of torture on the bodies of many detainees, and/or their testimonies before the prosecution or the court indicating that they have been subjected to torture. Therefore, “Lawyers for Justice” group calls upon the Palestinian Authority to immediately and unconditionally release these detainees and ensure their legal rights. The group also urges fellow colleagues in local and international human rights organizations to intervene for the immediate release of all detainees. … Lawyers for Justice June 18, 2023
Postponement of the session regarding the appeal submitted to the Administrative Court by the “Lawyers for Justice” group regarding the decision to restrict its registration.
The Administrative Court in Ramallah decided yesterday, Wednesday, to postpone the court session regarding the appeal filed by “Lawyers for Justice” against the decision to restrict its registration with the Companies Registrar, which the group was notified of on 26-3-2023 until 21-6-2023. In the first session of the trial, the group’s representative presented a portion of their evidence, while also requesting communication with some official departments to provide the court with additional documents and information. The court, on its part, decided to postpone the session in order to consider the group’s representative’s request in this regard. … Lawyers for Justice June 8, 2023
A statement issued by the “Lawyers for Justice” group regarding the summoning of the Public Prosecution of Dr. Azmi Al-Shuaibi, Advisor to the Board of Directors of the Aman Coalition, and Mr. Issam Haj Hussein, Executive Director of the Coalition.
The “Lawyers for Justice” group condemned the summoning of the Public Prosecution in Ramallah yesterday morning, Monday 5.6.2023, to Dr. Azmi Al-Shuaibi, Advisor to the Board of Directors of the Aman Coalition, and Mr. Issam Haj Hussein, Coalition Executive Director, against the background of the fifteenth coalition report published last month entitled “The Occupation, Division, and Political Corruption: A Closed Loop that Feeds Each Other”. The group considered that the investigation with Al-Shuaibi and Hajj Hussein was based on what was published in the coalition report on what is known as the file of laundering the dates of the settlement; an attempt to restrict the work of civil society institutions and organizations and obstruct their activity in the context of their oversight role on official performance. The group affirms that the work of civil society organizations is guaranteed and protected by the laws and regulations established in Palestine, including the Palestinian Basic Law, which guarantees the work of organizations without harassment. Accordingly, the group calls on the Ramallah Prosecution Office to immediately retract these measures against the AMAN Coalition, and also affirms that freedom of criticism is guaranteed and may not be restricted in any way, and that the continuation of these measures is against the aforementioned persons. It is an unjustified bias towards repression. At the time, activists and human rights defenders must be protected, and arrest campaigns must be stopped. Lawyers for Justice 6.6.2023
A statement issued by the “Lawyers for Justice” group regarding the arrest of Tariq Al-Haj Ali, an employee at Birzeit University.
The “Lawyers for Justice” group condemns in the strongest terms the arrest by the General Intelligence Service in Ramallah of the employee at Birzeit University, Tariq Haj Ali, and the confiscation of his car without any legal basis, after he and his wife were intercepted, and intimidated. The General Intelligence arrested Haj Ali in civilian clothes without carrying an arrest warrant, in addition to using excessive force by shooting near his car during his arrest. They also searched his wife’s phone and assaulted her. The group also denounces such arrests, in addition to the brutal method of arrest that accompanies many violations; Whether at the level of local laws or international agreements and treaties. Accordingly; The group calls for the immediate release of the detainee, Hajj Ali, and for those involved in his arrest and the shooting in the vicinity of his vehicle to be held accountable. … Lawyers for Justice 5, June 2023