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UPDATE:
Yesterday, Sunday
15.7.2001, Israeli Military Judge Adrian Agasi upheld Abed
al-Ahmar's six-month administrative detention order relying
solely on secret evidence submitted by the Israeli General
Security Services (GSS). The hearing was held at the Megiddo
military prison as part of a new procedure of judicial
review.
Military Judge Agasi
completely ignored the overwhelming evidence submitted by
Mr. al-Ahmar's lawyers, which showed his public call for
co-existence based on equality and justices for both
Palestinian and Israelis, his commitment to human rights and
his close contacts with many Israeli Jews. This evidence
included videotapes of interviews with Mr. Al-Ahmar on
Israeli television, newspapers and magazine articles, urgent
actions from Amnesty International and other human rights
organizations and affidavits from Israeli colleagues.
Military Judge Agasi
refused to disclose one piece of the secret evidence used
against Mr. Al-Ahmar and instead hid behind the wall of
secrecy to justify detaining Mr. Al-Ahmar for half a year
without charges or trial. In total deference to the GSS,
Judge Agassi went so far as to hint that Mr. Al-Ahmar's
detention could be extended for another few months thus
opening the door for Mr. Al-Ahmar to remain in Israeli
prison for years without charges or trial. The same thing
happened to Mr. Al-Ahmar four years ago, when he was held
again, in administrative detention for 2 ½ years.
As Abed stated from
Megiddo prison:
" I was
building my profession in human rights and was about to get
married and the Israeli security services just took it all
away with sweep. I turned to the military court for justice
hoping the military judge would have the courage to stand up
to this. Unfortunately, I did not find any justice there. My
long-term detention without charges or trial for the fourth
time in my life, the house demolitions, the torture and all
the oppression committed by the Israeli security services -
these acts are what truly endanger Israeli security. After
thirty -four years of destroying Palestinian lives, isn't it
clear that this is not the way to live in peace? The only
place Palestinians can hope for justice is internationally
and with courts abroad. I urge all of you to rethink your
unequivocal support for Israel and see that the factory of
occupation and military courts remains open and in full
force."
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
Mr. Abed Rahman
al-Ahmar is a well-known Palestinian human rights activist,
who works as a field researcher with the Palestinian Human
Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG). Mr. Al-Ahmar was arrested
and beaten by Israeli security forces on 24.5.2001 and has
since been held in detention, first at Gush Etzion military
detention center, and since Wednesday 30.5.2001 at the
Russian Compound detention center in Jerusalem.
On Wednesday,
30.5.2001, Mr. al-Ahmar's detention was extended by 20 days,
without the presence or the knowledge of Attorney Yossi
Schwartz, who represented Mr. al-Ahmar and had just visited
him on 27.5.2001. Attorney Schwartz filed an appeal of this
extension on Monday, 4.6.2001, but the appeal was rejected
the following day (5.6.2001) by the Military Court of
Appeals in Beit El, West Bank.
On 10.6.2001, Attorney
Allegra Pacheco discovered that Mr. Al-Ahmar had been
tortured, shackled in tight handcuffs to a slanting chair
for the entire day. This torture method, known as
"shabeh," was outlawed by the Israeli Supreme
Court on 6 September 1999. The next day, 11.6.2001, Attorney
Pacheco, in the name of Mr. Al-Ahmar, the Public Committee
Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) and the Palestinian Human
Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG), filed a petition with the
High Court against the torture, but the petition was
rejected in a hearing held on 12.6.2001. Although Mr.
Al-Ahmar vomited in Court and showed the red marks on his
wrists to the justices, the court ruled that it could find
no evidence of torture.
On 18.6.2001, the
initial 20-days interrogation period of Mr. Al-Ahmar came to
an end and the judge extended his detention for another 15
days. The lawyers immediately appealed this decision and the
appeal was heard by the Military Court of Appeals in Beit El
on 21.6.2001. The Military Judge initially decided that the
GSS did not provide him with sufficient material to justify
a new extension of Mr. Al-Ahmar's detention, but nonetheless
decided to grant the GSS more time. Somehow the GSS managed
between the evening of Thursday 21.6.2001 and Friday morning
22.6.2001 to come up with sufficient evidence and present it
to the Court. The appeal was rejected that same day, Friday
22.6.2001.
On Monday night
2.7.2001, as the latest extension of Mr. Al-Ahmar's
detention came to an end, the Military Commander ordered a 6
months administrative detention, thereby saving the GSS from
having to present new evidence against him. Mr. Al-Ahmar was
immediately transferred to Megiddo Detention Center.
Mr. al-Ahmar was
imprisoned several times in the past, most recently for two
and a half years in administrative detention until his
release in 1998. He was tortured repeatedly by the GSS while
detained at the Russian Compound and, as a result, still
suffers from a hiatal hernia and severe back problems. He
sued the GSS for damages but the decision is still pending. He
has now been adopted as a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty
International.
For further
details please contact:
PCATI - Hannah
Friedman: Tel. 02-5630073, 056-556442
PHRMG - Bassem Eid: Tel. 02-5823372, 050-258594
Or go to www.freeabed.org
Write to
Abed to express your support:
Abed al-Rahman
al-Ahmar
Administrative Detainee
Megiddo Prison
Military Mail 02287
Protest
Judge Agassi's Decision:
Chief Military
Attorney
Brigadier Menahem Finkelstein
Lishkat HaPatzar
HaKirya, Tel Aviv
Fax: +972 -3- 569-6576
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Office of the Prime Minister
3 Kaplan Street, PO Box 187
Kiryat Ben-Gurion
Jerusalem 91919
Fax: + 972 2 651 2631
Uzi Landau
Minister of Public Security
Ministry of Public Security (Police)
Kiryat Hamemshala
PO Box 18182
Jerusalem 91181
Fax: + 972 2 584 7872
Meir Shetrit
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
29 Salah al-Din Street
Jerusalem 91010
Fax: + 972 2 628 8618
Eli Yishai
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of Interior
2 Kaplan Street
PO Box 6158
Kiryat Ben Gurion
Jerusalem 91061
Fax: + 972 2 670 1628
Elyakim Rubinstein
Attorney-General
Ministry of Justice
29 Salah al-Din Street
Jerusalem 91010
Fax: + 972 2 628 5438
Kindly send copies of
emails, faxes, or other correspondence regarding Mr.
al-Ahmar's detention to:
PHRMG <admin@phrmg.org>
Fax 02-5823385
PCATI <pcati@netvision.net.il>
Fax 02-566 5477
ALL THE COPIES OF
YOUR LETTERS WILL BE KEPT AND GIVEN TO MR. AL-AHMAR AFTER
HIS RELEASE!
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