17 cases of political detention, and 5 of the detainees raise allegations of torture and miss-treatment
A contribution from the “Lawyers for Justice” group in monitoring and documenting the Palestinian human rights situation, publishes this second monthly report of December 2019, on the cases it follows legally at the level of political and arbitrary detention and human rights.
The following are the highlights of the group during the month of December 2019 (follow the details of the political arrests at the end of the report):
• Lawyers for Justice continued to monitor 17 cases of detention in the West Bank in December 2019 for political or trade union activity, or against the background of freedom of opinion and expression.
• 6 of the detainees during the month of December are still being held by the Palestinian security services.
• Two political detainees are still being held by the security services; they were detained during the previous months, the first of February 2019, and the other in the month of November 2019. The total number of those who still in detention is 8.
• 4 of the political detainees during the month of December are university students.
• 5 of the political detainees raised allegations of torture and miss-treatment during their arrest and / or investigation.
• 5 of the political prisoners were arrested illegally on behalf of the governors during this month, without presenting them to any judicial authority.
• 4 of those arrested during previous months; they were released during the month of December, after legal follow-up from the group.
• “Lawyers for Justice” obtained the acquittal of the released detainee A.A. from the charges attributed to him during the first session of the trial after the prosecution presented the investigative file without providing any other evidence, while the Public Prosecution decided to save the investigative file of the released detainee A.A., because there was no Any evidence linking him to the charge.
• Lawyers for justice group have followed dozens of trial sessions in cases of political detainees or human rights defenders, current and former.
• “Lawyers for Justice” attended the second session of the trial of the late Israa Gharib, as part of the legal supervision of fair trial guarantees, and issued a statement of its progress.
• Lawyers for Justice issued a set of press releases and urgent appeals in various cases, and launched a legal and other educational campaign on the occasion of the International Day against Violence against Women, via social media.
Notes and recommendations:
• The group expresses its concern about the continuation of political arrests on the background of political, trade union and student activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and calls for a halt to the pursuit of university students due to their union activities.
• The acquittal cases obtained by a number of detainees during the previous months due to insufficient evidence, and keeping the files of other detainees for the same reason, demonstrate the use of criminal charges by the human rights community to pursue political activists, human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, where charges such as “collection” are used. And receive money, ”“ possession of weapons, ”“ inciting sectarian strife, ”“ vilification of power, ”and others, to cover up the real reason for the arrest.
• The group recommends that an investigation be opened into the allegations of torture and miss-treatment raised by a number of detainees, a number of which have been recorded in the public prosecution records, in compliance with Articles 10 and 13 of the Palestinian Basic Law, Articles 5 and 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Articles 1, 4 and 16 of the Convention against Torture And other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, which the State of Palestine has signed, and Articles 7, 9 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the State of Palestine has acceded.
• The group calls for stopping the detention of the governors, which is considered an administrative detention without a decision or judicial permission, as the Palestinian Basic Law affirmed in Article (11/2) that “it is not permissible to arrest, search, imprison or restrict his freedom with any restriction or prevent him from moving Except by a judicial order in accordance with the provisions of the law, ”and in compliance with Articles 8, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in compliance with Articles 9/3 and 14/3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which the State of Palestine joined.
Details of the political arrests that the group followed in 12/2019:
1. Q.F resident of Tulkarm, a university student, was arrested by the General Intelligence Service on 4/12/2019, and he was transferred to the headquarters of the General Intelligence Service in Jericho, his family did not know about his place of detention until lawyers for justice issued an urgent appeal To find out the location of his arrest after five days, and he was arrested on the authority of the governor of Tulkarm, he raised allegations of torture and miss-treatment, where he told “Lawyers for Justice” that he tortured, and that his hands were tied and hung in the door, and he was released on 11/12/2019, knowing that he was arrested because of his union activities at the university.
2. A.A a resident of the Nablus governorate, arrested by the Preventive Security Service on December 11, 2019. The prosecution charged him with defamation against the authority. He denied the charge before the prosecution and said that he was arrested because of his participation in receiving one of the freed prisoners in his town. “Lawyers for Justice” on a decision of the Magistrate’s Court to release him on 12/17/2019 with 200 dinars guarantee.
3. A.T resident of Tulkarm, a former prisoner in the occupation prisons, arrested by the Preventive Security Service in Tulkarm on 12/14/2019, he was arrested on the authority of the governor of Tulkarm. “Lawyers for Justice” group lodged an appeal against his illegal arrest. The project is before the Supreme Court of Justice, and a session was held on 12/30/2019, and the session was postponed to 6/1/2020 to present the evidence of the defense, and he remains in detention.
4. L.O a resident of Toubas, a university student, was arrested by the General Intelligence Service on 11/12/2019, and presented to the Public Prosecution on 12/12/2019, where he accused him of collecting and receiving money from illegal associations, and he was released with a personal guarantee of 1,000 Jordanian dinars on 16/12/2019, knowing that his arrest is due to his union and university activities.
5. A. A resident of Ramallah Governorate, arrested by the General Intelligence Service on 12/12/2019. The Public Prosecution charged him with possession of a firearm and ammunition without a permit. He was released on 18/12/2019 on financial guarantee 1000 dinars, and the Public Prosecution filed the investigation file, as there was no evidence linking it to the accusation against him, knowing that his arrest was due to his possession of the Hamas flags.
6. B.A resident of Ramallah, arrested by the General Intelligence Service on 12/12/2019, and the Public Prosecution charged him with collecting and receiving money from illegal associations, his father raised allegations of torture and miss-treatment, where he informed the group that he was tortured and beating, a release order was issued against him on 12/18/2019, and he was not released after the Public Prosecution submitted a request to reconsider the decision, knowing that his arrest was against the background of his possession of Hamas flags, and he is still in detention.
7. A. A resident of Ramallah Governorate, was arrested by the General Intelligence Service on December 11, 2019, and the prosecution charged him with collecting and receiving money from illegal associations, raised allegations of torture and miss-treatment, as he reported that he was tortured and beatings, and subjected him to approximately 17 investigation sessions, he was released on December 27, 2019, and “lawyers for justice” subsequently obtained his innocence from the charges attributed to him for the lack of evidence, as the Public Prosecution Office highlighted the investigation file and concluded its evidence with it, and no evidence was provided. Others and demanded his conviction for the maximum punishment, while the Magistrates Court decided in the first session to declare his innocence due to the absence of Evidence, knowing that his arrest is due to his political activity.
8. H.R a resident of Ramallah Governorate, one of the wounded from the occupation and listed on the list of the wounded of the intifada, he was arrested by the General Intelligence Service on December 22, 2019, and the prosecution charged him with collecting and receiving money from illegal associations, but he said to the Public Prosecutor in the presence of “lawyers for justice” that his investigation revolves around his political activity, and he raised before the Public Prosecutor allegations of torture and miss-treatment, as he said that he was tortured, and hanging his hands on the wall, and preventing him from showering, as he suffers from a skin disease that necessitates his daily bathing, and his medicines were only available on Monday evening, 23 of December after allowing his father to bring his medicines, and in the context of the allegation of miss-treatment, said that he was threatened with placing a wet pouch in his mouth, and was further threatened with torture as investigators told him, “The greatest is yet to come”, according to his account before the prosecution, he is still in detention.
9. A.S, a resident of the Hebron Governorate, was arrested by the General Intelligence Service on December 11, 2019, and the prosecution charged him with inciting sectarian strife, and he was released on December 19, 2019 on a bail of 300 dinars, noting that the investigation with him because of his background of his political activity.
10. H.A resident of Nablus Governorate, was arrested by the General Intelligence Service on December 3, 2019, on the authority of the Governor of Nablus, and his printer and money were seized, he was released on 12/12/2019, noting that the investigation with him, on the background of printing posters for released prisoners.
11. A. A resident of the Nablus governorate, a university student, was arrested by the General Intelligence Service on 4/12/2019, under the responsibility of the governor of Nablus, and he was released on 12/12/2019, knowing that his investigation was against the background of printing posters of released prisoners.
12. Q.A resident of Nablus, was arrested twice in December and summoned for a third time. He was arrested by the Preventive Security Service on December 12, 2019, and released on the following day, then summoned for investigation on 16 / 12/2019, and he was arrested for the third time on December 23, 2019, under the responsibility of the Governor of Nablus, knowing that his investigation took place against the background of his political activities.
13. B.O resident of Ramallah Governorate, a university student, was arrested by the Preventive Security Service on December 26, 2019, and the prosecution charged him with collecting and receiving money from illegal associations, bearing in mind that his arrest and investigation against him on the background of his trade union and university activities , and remains in detention.
14. A.A resident of Ramallah Governorate, a former prisoner, who was arrested by the Preventive Security Service on December 25, 2019. The prosecution charged him with collecting and receiving funds from illegal associations, bearing in mind that his arrest and investigation against him on the background of his political activities, and remains in detention.
15. A. A resident of Ramallah Governorate, was arrested by the Preventive Security Service on 8/12/2019, and released on 9/12/2019, knowing that his arrest and investigation against him on the background of his political activity, he raised allegations of torture mistreatment during his arrest, as he said that he was beaten during detention.
16. Y.S resident of Bethlehem Governorate was arrested by the Preventive Security Service on December 16, 2019, and the Public Prosecution charged him with possession of a weapon without a license, while the Bethlehem Magistrate Court decided to release him on December 26 2019, on bail. That his arrest and investigation against him on the background of his political activity.
17. , M.D a resident of Ramallah Governorate, a former prisoner, was arrested by the Preventive Security Service on December 24, 2019, and the prosecution charged him with collecting and receiving money from illegal associations, and he is still in detention, knowing that his investigation was about his allocations as a captive editor.
Political detainees are still being held in political detention Previous months:
1. M.N resident of Qalqilya Governorate, detained since 25/2/2019, and his file was referred to the Court of First Instance on 01/2020 to start his trial, and the prosecution charged him with inciting sectarian strife, affiliation with the executive force and armed militias, and making materials explosive, knowing that he is a university student at Palestine Technical University – Khadoury, and he obtained a release order on 16/7/2019 on the background of the charge of possession of a weapon, knowing that he had denied the charges, and the investigation with him was on the background of his political activity .
2. S.D., resident of Hebron Governorate, was arrested by the General Intelligence Service on 11/17/2019, and the Public Prosecution charged him with collecting and receiving funds from illegal associations, while he is still in detention, knowing that the investigation with him was about his activity Political.