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PRESS RELEASES 2000
Jerusalem, July 3, 2000
The State Security Court sentenced Raji Ibrahim Saqer to
death for the murder of Ahlam Matar Duqmaq
On Monday July 3, at dawn, the State Security Court
sentenced Raji Ibrahim Saqer, 29, from Ama’ry refugee camp
to death by hanging for the murder in the first degree of
Ahlam Matar Duqmaq, 25, on Saturday July 1. It is the
twenty-seventh death sentence since the establishment of the
Palestinian National Authority. His accomplice, Jamal Hasan
Khalil al-Azze, 24, from Qadura camp, was sentenced to
twelve years imprisonment with hard labour.
On Saturday July 1, Raji Ibrahim Saqer, accompanied by Jamal
al-Azze, entered the Duqmaq butcher shop at around 12:30 and
shot the victim Ahlam Dumaq, who was helping her father in
the shop, in her chest, back and shoulder. The murder
followed several attacks carried out by Walid Fares Ibrahim
Saqer, his brother Raji Ibrahim Saqer and their friends
against the brother of the victim, Jihad Duqmaq in the past
days. Walid Fares Ibrahim Saqer tried to shoot Jihad Duqmaq
on two occasions, and was injured by stabbing when the
Duqmaq brothers retaliated on Friday 30 June after the
security services failed to intervene. The same day, Raji
Ibrahim Saqer and his armed friends opened fire on the
Duqmaq family house, beat Ahlam and her sister Najah Duqmaq,
opened fire on a family friend’s house and tried to kill his
sixteen year old brother, then opened fire on Abed Duqmaq’s
house, one of Ahlam’s brothers. When his wife called the
police, they told her to lodge an official complaint.
As all the security services and the police in Ramallah were
informed of the attacks and failed to act according to the
law, attorney Buthaina Duqmaq, Ahlam’s sister, informed
President Arafat personally, who ordered the aggressors to
be arrested and left Ramallah. Therefore the Duqmaq family
did not retaliate, trusting that law would finally be
enforced. But the Saqer brothers were left free, and forces
from the National Security present in the area left on
Saturday July 1, leaving family members without protection
and Ahlam Abed Duqmaq was murdered.
Although the PHRMG condemns the act committed by Raji
Ibrahim Saqer, we are opposed to the death penalty as it is
a violation of the right to life, and the State Security
Court who pronounced the sentence did not guarantee a fair
trial to the defendant. We call upon President Arafat not to
sign the death sentence approval. The PHRMG is outraged by
the fact that none of the security services and the police
performed their duty of protection towards the Duqmaq
family, nor did they interfere to prevent the vandalism that
took place in Ramallah to avenge the killing. The death of
Ahlam Duqmaq is a direct consequence of their negligence or
non-willingness to interfere and arrest the Saqer brothers,
who have a long record of problems with many people. The
PHRMG calls upon President Arafat to have the whole affair
thoroughly investigated and to restore the rule of law in
the Ramallah area. The PHRMG is also deeply concerned about
the number of illegal weapons still in the possession of
civilians. This situation creates a state of insecurity in
the society and cost the life of Ahlam Duqmaq.
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