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3. Arbitrary Arrests:
The
PA continues to violate the right of citizens to be free and express their
minds freely, by detaining them without following any legal procedures.
The following are examples of arrests of well-known Palestinian figures
because they opposed some of the practices of the PA.
a) Arrest of Omar Assaf
Profile
Omar Assaf, 50 years, lives in at-Tira near
Ramallah, and works as a teacher of Arabic language at Ramallah high
school for boys. He is a member of the political office of the Democratic
Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and of the High Coordination
Committee for Teachers of Government Schools. He has been in teaching
since 1974, and was arrested by Israel in 1978 for 18 months, then worked
at Bir-Zeit University until 1997 when he returned to teaching.
On 7.5.00 and on the front page of al-Quds
newspaper, General Ghazi al-Jabali head of the Palestinian police issued a
report saying that the Palestinian police had arrested a member in the
Democratic Front for spreading incitement against the Palestinian
Authority and the peace negotiations. He clarified that Omar Assaf member
of the political office of the Democratic Front was arrested on Friday
5.5.00 after he accused the PA of corruption and mismanagement in the
Ministry of Education, in an interview with a local radio station. It was
mentioned that Assaf said the budget of education, which amounts to about
100 million US dollars was not spent for those purposes. General Jabali
added that Assaf will be prosecuted with the charge of spreading lies and
false rumors against the Authority.
[
On Friday 5.5.00 after midnight, a police force came to our house, they
were three men in civil clothes, and took Omar with them ]
Omar Assaf’s wife told the PHRMG.
[ When they rang the bell outside the front door,
Omar went to see. They asked him: Are you Omar Assaf who teaches at
Ramallah high school? He answered: Yes. Then they asked him to accompany
them. He asked for the arrest warrant, and they showed him a paper which
he wanted to give to me but they took it back. When he came to change his
clothes he told me it was the police. In 15 minutes he was gone with them
]
[ I
visited him in prison. He was well, and only complained that he was
arrested by his brothers. There were some policemen around during my
visits. He asked them to put him with the other prisoners explaining that
if they really respected him they should not have detained him ]
It is worth mentioning that General Ghazi
al-Jabali, Head of the Palestinian police prevented visits to Assaf in
prison by family members and lawyers, he even did not allow human rights
organizations, such as al-Haq to visit him.
Public Condemnation
On Monday 8.5.00 all local national
parties, institutions, some members of the Legislative Council and human
rights organizations protested demanding greater freedom of expression and
the release of Omar Assaf. They gathered outside the District building
(Muqata’a) in Ramallah in protest against all forms of political
arrest, and affirming that teachers had the right to defend their
legitimate rights.
The Detention of Omar Assaf represents a serious
violation to international covenants and the recommendations of the
Palestinian Legislative Council, and the interference of the security
services in the union activities is even more serious.
Release
On Thursday 22.5.00, al-Quds newspaper
published a report saying that “following a decision by President
Arafat, Omar Assaf member of the Teachers High Coordination Committee was
released”.
A Visit, and a Reply!
A delegation from the Arab Association to
Defend Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms – district office / Palestine,
visited Omar Assaf in Ramallah central prison, and met him in the office
of the prison director, The following day, 9.5.00, a report on that visit
from the organization appeared in al-Quds daily newspaper.
A delegation from
the Arab Association to defend Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms,
Palestine office, visited the apprehended Omar Assaf in Ramallah central
prison. The meeting took place in the office of the prison director and
lasted for one hour and a half, and the organization can confirm that
Assaf is in very good health, and he assured the delegation that he does
not lack anything.
He even used the
term (I am a guest here) and added that he gets the newspapers every
day, and they allowed him to take his medications, and all his personal
needs are met. He explained that he has no interest to “politicize” the
subject.
The delegation of
the association included Faiza Abu al-Heija, Head of the association,
and Sufian al-Ramahi, the General Coordinator. They both confirmed that
they will continue to follow the issue until he is released at the
nearest opportunity.
The following day, the PHRMG received the
following reply from Omar Assaf in prison, on what the Arab Association
has published, following is his reply:
Brothers / in the
Arab Association to defend Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms,
District office / Palestine
Greetings,
At the time when I
appreciate your solidarity visit to ensure my situation and detention
conditions, I was surprised by the way you published a report about your
visit in the media. To be more frank, and to provide credibility in the
relationship between your association and its targeted public, I wish to
point out the following:
1. The visit only
lasted for half an hour, and not for one hour and a half.
2. When I started my
talk about the nature of my detention as it was an illegal violation of
freedom of expression, you replied that the purpose of your visit was to
check on the conditions of detention and not its nature.
3. When you asked
about the conditions inside the prison, I said (the best possible thing
inside the prison must be bad, but the relation with the prison
administration is good, and I feel like a guest, and the director of the
prison commented “It is compulsory hospitality for you and for us”.
4. When we spoke
about the teachers’ strike, I said the PA is trying to make it a
political issue, while the teachers confirm it is a union professional
matter, and they simply have union demands and I myself do not wish to
politicize the matter, although I am a politician.
5. No person would
feel comfortable inside a prison, otherwise it would become a demand,
but I simply said that if the human conditions were fine, that would
ease the suffering.
I hope that you will
be more accurate because this subject is very sensitive.
With my respect,
Omar Assaf
b) Arrest of Mohammed (Abu-Ali)
Muqbel
Profile
Mohammed Muqbel,
known as (Abu-Ali) 55 years, married with 4 children, one of the
founders of the PLO, was active in the political circle in the PLO,
lived in Lebanon. Returned to the country in 1996.
Profession at
Present: A Director-General in the Palestinian Ministry of Youth and
Sport in the Palestinian Authority.
On Sunday 21.5.00 Mohammed (Abu-Ali)
Muqbel, a Director General at the Ministry of Youth and Sport, was
arrested by the Palestinian Authority, after he led a public demonstration
in a funeral of one of the martyrs killed in clashes with the Israelis to
support the detainees’ strike. Muqbel made a fervent speech outside Jamal
Abdel-Naser Mosque in al-Bireh in which he criticized the measures taken
by the Israeli Authorities against the detainees, and also criticized the
secret negotiations between the PA and Israel that were taking place in
Sweden.
He warned against results of the secret
talks saying that they do not fulfill the ambitions of the Palestinian
people. He called upon the Palestinian leadership to cling to the national
rights of the return of refugees, and Jerusalem as the capital of the
independent Palestinian state. During the funeral of the Martyr Issa Abed,
at noon on 21.5.00, Muqbel shouted against the secret negotiations.
The Palestinian Authority arrested him that
night. His wife told the PHRMG “two men in civil clothes came to the
house, while two others in police clothes waited in a car, and they had a
written arrest order with them. They asked about my husband, but he was
out, so they came back at 8:30 p.m. and took him”.
Muqbel was detained on the charge of
incitement against the Authority. He said regarding this charge “They
accused me of incitement and attacking the Authority in my speech, and
criticizing the secret channel talks in Sweden. But that was a false
charge. I only wanted to motivate the Authority to cling to our national
goals in the face of pressures placed on the PA and the Palestinian
negotiators”.
Abu-Ali Muqbel added that President Yasser
Arafat considered the shoutings as directed against him personally
“therefore he issued instructions to arrest me, according to one police
officer who told me so”. “But that was not the case, I did not mean to
attack any person, only warned against giving away our rights, is that a
charge? All that I said falls under the freedom of expression and my
political principles”.
They asked him to sign a commitment (not to
participate in any nationalistic activities, or make any inciting
statements) in order to release him, but he refused. He answered them by
saying “we are still under occupation and there is settlement activity all
over the place, and we have no dignity, no freedom”. As a result, Muqbel
was transferred to Ramallah central prison, put in solitary confinement,
and denied family visits. They also prevented many organizations and
national personalities from visiting him.
Abu-Ali Muqbel said “They meant to
humiliate me, the next day after I was taken to Ramallah prison, the
director of the prison said there were orders from senior officials to
shave off my hair. I was shocked to hear that. Was I a criminal? But I did
not want them to see that I was influenced by that illegal inhuman
measure, because I understood it was caused by mere grudge of some
officials in the Authority”.
Muqbel told the PHRMG about his situation
during his detention “Two hours after I was arrested they took me to
Ramallah central prison, where they kept me in solitary confinement
together with Omar Assaf. I was kept there for 8 days with no family
visits, and human rights organizations were prevented from visiting me as
well. I was told that any visit had to receive permission from Head of the
Police Ghazi al-Jabali”.
He was released after twenty days from his
arrest after some nationalistic leaders, members of the “Fatah” central
council and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, intervened and
spoke with President Arafat.
c) Arrest of Journalist Maher
al-Alami
On Tuesday 6.6.00 The Palestinian general
intelligence security service arrested Maher al-Alami, a well-known
journalist from East Jerusalem, for the second time since the
establishment of the PA.
Sources from his family said that he was
arrested for the first time on 25.12.1995, because he did not put a photo
of President Arafat on the front page of al-Quds daily newspaper where he
worked as a editing secretary. They summoned him to Jericho for one week
on orders from the President himself.
This time, on 6.6.00, a security officer
called Abu-Assem from the general intelligence service summoned Maher to
the district building (Muqata’a) in Ramallah. Three hours later, they
called his house and asked his family to bring him his medication and some
clothes because he was not coming back home for some time. His detention
came as a result of his participation in the TV program (Space for
Opinion) in which he criticized the PA.
His wife added “The first time he was
released because of the pressure of the legislative elections, and the
intervention of the American Consul General. The second time the people
showed solidarity, and there was concern from Arab and foreign press
agencies. We visited him in a room in the main district building.
Al-Alami suffers from heart problems, he
had a heart surgery in Amman two years ago. His family sources clarified
that he may lose his job at the Islamic Waqf which he had for 33 years.
The first time he was arrested he got sacked from the local al-Quds
newspapers because of political disputes.
Maher al-Alami was released on 17.6.00.
d) Arrest of Fathi Barqawi
Profile
Fathi al-Barqawi, 56 years, from Kufor
al-ribad, Tulkarem, left Palestine with his family in 1960 for Kuwait
where he stayed until 1981 when he went to United Arab Emirates until
1985, then to Tunisia until 1994 when he returned to Palestine. At present
, he is the Assistant Director of the official Palestine radio station
(PBC), and Director of the news department.
Fathi Barqawi told the PHRMG: “I have
worked in journalism since 1966, I was a member of the Journalists
Association in Kuwait in 1972, and worked as correspondent and reporter
for several newspapers in Kuwait, such as al-Anba’a, al-Watan, and with
al-Bayan in Tunisia, al-Quds al-Arabi in London, al-Ra’I in Jordan. I also
worked in Dubai radio and television. When we returned to Palestine in
1994, I was chosen by President Abu-Ammar (Arafat) to work for Palestine
radio and television PBC”.
On 6.7.1993 President Arafat appointed
Radwan Abu-Ayyash as chairman of the PBC, decision # 4596, and so the
dream of an official Palestinian radio and television was established.
Fathi Barqawi was arrested on 27.5.00 by
the Palestinian criminal intelligence. Radwan Abu-Ayyash said about that
“He was detained because he participated in two meetings in Bir-Zeit
and al-Bireh in which he criticized the PA. His detention had nothing to
do with the PBC. A report arrived at the hands of President Arafat (from
some people who hate Barqawi) claiming that he attacked the PA in the two
conferences, so President Arafat issued a order to apprehend and detain
him”.
Barqawi said that he had never entered a
police station until he was detained in Ramallah. He explained how he was
arrested “They called me at 8 in the evening and said (could you come for
coffee at our office?) I replied that I did not like coffee, so they said
(come for 15 minutes) but I replied saying if they needed me they would
have to come to me, so within few minutes they were in my house. I drove
my car to Ramallah police station, and they showed me an official written
order for my arrest, with no mention of a charge. They did not even
question me about anything. They kept me until 2.6.00, and released me at
11 a.m. that day.
Barqawi told the PHRMG that his detention was a
malicious act.
“Some people who hated me told President Arafat some
lies about me”. He added that his detention conditions were not bad “they
kept me in the
office of the Assistant Officer of the
police station, with a toilet in it. My family and friends could visit me
any time they wanted. Moreover, Hamdi al-Rifi Director of Prisons in the
PA also visited me, and President Arafat sent his private doctor to check
on me, all that probably due to my good contacts and relationship with the
President.
Barqawi also said:As for the two
conferences, a French journalist called Eric Rolou was with me, even Dr.
Hanan Ashrawi was there and said later on that she criticized more than
me, she in fact said:
( the PA criticizes itself more than Barqawi does)
He continued to say, many people intervened
in order to release me, all from outside the PBC. Radwan Abu-Ayyash
visited me and was kind. Also my colleague Za’al Abu Raqti from the PBC
made a lot of efforts to release me. My friends and contacts in the
Legislative Council and some nationalist figures spoke with the President,
who at the end, after 20 days of my arrest, gave his orders to release me.
About his detention conditions he said
“Although my conditions were not bad, but if you put a bird in a cage it
would not be happy, I hope that all Palestinians will achieve true and
just peace, with respect for the freedoms of all people. Law of prisons
exists in prisons. Food is available, but my daughters used to bring me
food from home, the administration of the prison knew that and were kind
to me”.
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