|
Jerusalem: 30
June , 1997
Nasser Radwan Died in Hospital
Today at 12:00; Force - 17 Officer Suspected
Nasser Radwan is the 14th man to
die in custody since the arrival of the PA
A personal dispute between a young
Gazan, Nasser Radwan (28 years, married with three children)
and Mahmoud Zayyed of the Presidential Security Guard led to
the hospitalization of Radwan on June 23 and his death
earlier today.
The medical report completed at the
al-Shafa’ Hospital referred to Radwan only as “Prisoner #
10.” The report stated that upon arrival the prisoner was
in a complete coma and was hemmoraghing with evidence of a
severe blow to the skull. The doctor further stated that
bruises were apparent upon his leags and arms and that marks
caused by electrical wire were apparent upon his legs. The
report noted that Radwan was accompanied to the hospital by
members of Force-17.
Radwan was arrested at his house on
June 23, at 16:00 and transferred to an unknown location in
a vehicle belonging to Force-17. The arresting officer was
Mahmoud Zayyed, who is a bodyguard for Colonel Abu Nasser
Freihat. Radwan was later admitted to the hospital at 23:45
with a fractured skull.
Two hours after the arrest, Zayyed
denied knowing where Radwan was. That evening, after
approaching Colonel Freihat, the family learned that Zayyad
had his superior officer’s complete support. The family has
told the PHRMG that upon meeting the Colonel he stated that
“if I were Mahmoud [Zayyad] I would have killed him.... I
didn’t want Radwan to be arrested at his home. I wanted his
arrest to be from the streets so that it would take you
months to find him.”
These details and others were
presented to President Arafat’s office. Arafat himself
called for an investigation which has led to the arrest of
eight members of
Force-17.
The PHRMG is concerned about this
case which points to the following systematic human rights
problems within the Palestinian Authority: A culture of
violence within the security forces, lack of accountability
extending up the chain of command, the use of official
status to solve personal disputes, the use of torture by the
security services leading to the crippling and death of
detainees.
In our recent report, “The State of
Human Rights in Palestine” the PHRMG pointed out in a study
of 42 cases of torture investigated by human rights
organizations, that:
Torture is widespread, involving every
branch of the security forces, torture takes place in almost
every detention center and prison, torture is used by all
ranks for every type of suspect, criminal or political,
torture may include whipping, burning, exposure to cold air,
sexual abuse, and denial of medical treatment. In our study,
all 42 cases involved beating.
|
