Lawyers for Justice

Lawyers for Justice Group condemns the continued detention of the Mazayed Saqf Al-Hayat

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Lawyers for Justice Group condemns the continued detention of the human rights activist and political critic Mazayed Saqf Al-Hayat since 15-10-2024. The detention of the activist Mazayed is the third time this year follows ongoing defamation and incitement campaigns against him, on the background of his exercise of freedom of opinion and expression and criticism of the Palestinian Authority’s policies. Mazayed was indicted on charges of provoking sectarian nudity, wrongdoing against the authorities, defamation by using electronic means and demeaning the authorities on 21-10-2024. The Nablus Magistrates’ Court continues to refuse the release the activist to suspend his activities in the public order and security. Lawyers for Justice has appealed against decisions to reject the release, but the court has dismissed the appeal and kept the activist detained. Lawyers for Justice cautioned against the persistence of the repressive approach to issues of opinion and expression, which had become a threat to human rights and called on the Group to respect the detainee’s rights and not to be subjected to it and to ensure that he received a fair trial and his immediate release. Issued in 21-10-2024, Till here, Lawyers for Justice.

The release of the detained student at Arab American University Hamam Al-Haj

The General Intelligence Service released student Hamam al-Haj at the Arab American University yesterday on Wednesday, 29-5-2024, he was detained back on the 5-5-2024, on the background of his trade union and student activities. The Jenin Magistrates’ Court had pronounced Hamam’s release on 16-5-2024, but the General Intelligence Service refused to execute the release order issued by the Jenin Magistrate, and kept him arrested by the director of the General Intelligence Service. Lawyers for Justice considers that the arrest of detainees under the supervision of the security services is an unlawful arrest and action and involves an offence prescribed by law, namely the refusal to implement a 14-day judicial decision and the imprisonment of liberty without legitimate justification. The Group also considers that the said measure contravenes the Constitutional Court’s decision in Constitutional Case No. (18/2022) issued in the 25/1/2023, which earlier annulled the administrative arrest of the Governor and repealed articles of the Jordanian Crime Prevention Law No. (7) Of 1954, which used to allow the violation of the guarantees of a fair trial. Till here, Issued in 30/5/2024. Lawyers for Justice.

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.

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.

Arrest under the Governor’s custody in June

Since the beginning of June, the group has followed up on 5 administrative arrests pending under the governor decision, including 4 cases in the custody of the governor of Qalqilya and one in the custody of the governor of Ramallah. The group had obtained several previous decisions from the High Court of Justice in similar cases of detention; it had ruled that the arrest of the governor was false and illegal, in which it assaulted and exceeded the authority of the judiciary. Accordingly, the group asserts that the Public Prosecutor’s Office is the only legally competent body to prosecute any accused person of any nature of the charge, and that the use of the security services to arrest citizens in the custody of the governor aims to provide space for these organs to arbitrarily arrest citizens and conduct an illegal investigation outside the control of the court in which there is no minimum fair trial guarantees guaranteed under the Palestinian Basic Law and human rights conventions.

Qalqilya Magistrate’s Court issues an acquittal in the case of Muhammad Al-Baz who is been accused of defaming the authority

The Qalqilya Magistrate’s Court decided this morning to acquit the former detainee, Muhammad Al-Baz, of the charge of defamation against the authority, in violation of Article 45 of Decree-Law No. 10 of 2018 in terms of Article 191 of Penalties No 16 to the year 60. The Preventive Security Service arrested Muhammad Al-Baz from Qalqilya governorate because of posts he wrote on his personal social media page, in which he criticizes the performance of the Palestinian Authority PLO, and in these publications he also criticizes the policy of political detention that targets those he described as respected people. He described the settlement agreements signed by the PLO as illegitimate, in addition he wrote that the authority is corrupted and accused the authority of killing Nizar Banat. After six months of prosecution, arrest and trial, the Magistrate’s Court in Qalqilya decided to declare his innocence. Accordingly, Lawyers for Justice group calls for the necessity of respecting rights, freedoms, and preserving the right to express opinion, no matter how climaxed it may be, as long as it is focused on legitimate criticism.The group also confirms that hundreds of files that were referred by city prosecutors on the same background receive acquittal verdicts at the conclusion of the trial, which requires waiting and reassessing the prosecution’s performance in the files referred to the courts or requests to extend arbitrary detentions that are arbitrarily submitted to the courts at the investigation stage. Punishing people, especially since the Public Prosecution Office exists to protect the public right, preserve rights, and freedoms, not to defend oppression and confiscation of constitutional rights enshrined by the Palestinian Basic Law. The group also stresses that the judiciary is required today to reconsider requests to extend the detention, so that the judiciary is not a haven to legitimize repression in the arrest stage, with the need also to repeal this decision by a law on cybercrime as it directly contradicts the Palestinian Basic Law and related human rightsconventions.