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9. Political
Detention: A crime against humanity
a) Most political
prisoners hold political beliefs and opinions that led to their detention.
Ø
Sheikh Hamed
al-Bitawi, from Nablus and born in 1944, is the Head of the Religious
Judicial Council in the West Bank and one of the Speakers at al-Aqsa
Mosque. He was interviewed by al-Jazeera Satellite Channel on 25 October
1998 during which he criticized the Wye Memorandum. Immediately following
the interview he was detained until 20 December 1998.
Ø
On 24 October 1998,
Sheikh Nafez Azzam, Head of an Islamic charitable society and one of the
leaders of the Islamic Jihad Group, was arrested by the criminal police
unit because of a speech he had given on the annual commemoration of the
death of the martyr Fathi Shikaki. He was released on 30 October 1998.
b)
Many political
detainees suffered long periods of imprisonment and
torture inside
Palestinian prisons without having been charged with a single offense.
Ø
Akram al-Hallak, 27
years of age and from Gaza, was arrested on 15 April 1997. Security
officers came to visit as friends and then arrested him.
Ø
Mahdi Ja’rour, 27
years of age and from Gaza, was arrested by the Preventive Security
Service on 12 December 1997 for five days. He was not charged and was
rearrested on 7 March 1999.
Ø c)
Many political
detainees are released and rearrested again within a few
days (or even
hours).
Ø
Imad al-Sharif from
Bureij refugee camp in the Gaza Strip was arrested on 18 March 1996 by the
Preventive Security Service and released on 16 June 1997 following a
decision by the Attorney General. Two hours after he had reached his home,
he was arrested again only to be released on 29 June 1999.
Ø
Khaled Abu-Maghseeb,
from Gaza, was released from Israeli prison to be arrested several times
by the PA: twice in 1995, once in 1996, once in 1997, three times in 1998
and again in 1999.
d)
The PA has arrested
holders of Jerusalem Identity cards, outside the Palestinian Authority.
Ø
Sheikh Sabri Abu-Diab,
45 years of age and from Silwan in Jerusalem, was arrested by the
Palestinian General Intelligence Service on 7 November 1999 because of a
speech he had made entitled “Pain and Hope”.
Ø
Issam Ameera, 50 years
of age and from Surbaher in Jerusalem, was arrested by the General
Intelligence Service on 16 December 1999 following a speech he made in
which he criticized the policy of President Arafat.
Ø e)
Not only has political
detention involved young men, but also older men, women and even children.
e) Ø
Youssef Sarkaji, 39
years of age and from Nablus, was arrested in September 1997. He suffers
from pain in his back, ears and feet. He was severely tortured.
Ø
Abdel-Rahman Raddad,
64 years of age and from Nablus, was arrested in July 1997. Because of his
age and illness he spent most of the time in the National Hospital in
Nablus. He suffers from diabetes and ulcers.
Ø
Sheikh Ahmad Nimer, 60
years of age and from Gaza, was arrested five times by Israel and five
times by the PA, the last time being in 1998.
Ø
Bassam Abu Mustafa, 16
years of age, was arrested on 1 March 1996 by Force 17 in Jabalia and
beaten very hard. This further damaged his leg which had been shot by
Israeli soldiers in 29 May 1993. He also suffers from ulcers.
Ø
Bilal al-Ghoul, 15
years of age and a pupil in the 9th Grade, was arrested
together with his mother on 11 December 1999 because his father, Yahia
al-Ghoul who is 38 years old, had escaped from al-Saraya prison in Gaza.
Ø
Karima Hammad, from
Beit-Lahia and born in 1975, was arrested by the Preventive Security
Service and detained in Tal-el-Hawa prison in Gaza where she was tortured
and transferred to hospital four times.
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