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Military
Court extends his detention for another 15 days
UPDATE:
On Sunday 17.6.01 at
noon, Attorney Allegra Pacheco was informed by phone that
the hearing regarding Mr. Abed Rahman al-Ahmar’s detention
had been scheduled that same afternoon in the Military Court
located inside the Russian Compound detention center. As
such hearings are public by law, two PHRMG representatives
and other concerned individuals gathered outside the Russian
Compound at 5 pm to observe the proceedings.
Attorney Pacheco,
however, had to argue with the Judge and the Police, with
the latter refusing to allow any civilians to observe the
hearing. Three hours later, with the issue still unresolved,
the Judge decided to postpone the hearing until the next
morning. During this whole time, no one had informed the
people waiting outside why the hearing had been delayed.
On Monday 18.6.01 at
9:30, two PHRMG representatives and several other human
rights activists once again tried to exercise their right to
attend the hearing at the Russian Compound Military Court.
Finally, at 10:30, all the observers were allowed to enter
and the hearing began, presided by Judge Shfeser.
The Israeli General
Security Services requested a 23-day extension of the
detention in order to continue the interrogation of Mr.
Al-Ahmar, whom they suspected of “acting against the
security of the area.” In her cross-interrogation,
Attorney Pacheco noted that the police had produced a
post-dated and inaccurate arrest warrant, casting doubt onto
the GSS’ claim that they were looking for him. On behalf
of the GSS, the police representative admitted that he had
“a problem with details” regarding the inaccuracy of the
arrest warrant.
Furthermore, Attorney
Pacheco charged that the interrogation had been conducted
only sporradically, and had revolved around general
political issues rather than specific facts, therefore
pointing at a lack of basis for the interrogation. Attorney
Pacheco produced before the judge a pile of hundreds of
letters from all around the world received by the PHRMG in
support of Mr. Al-Ahmar. The GSS stated that they had no
incriminating evidence in their file against Mr. Al-Ahmar.
They indicated that they needed to arrest more people in
connection with Mr. Al-Ahmar, but that they have neither
names nor addresses for these other suspects.
Finally, the Judge
ruled that the detention would be extended for 15 days,
instead of the 23 days requested by the GSS.
PCATI and PHRMG are
pleased to have been allowed to witness the proceedings, a
decision by the judge which sets a good precedent for other
hearings to be held in the Russian Compound Military Court.
However, we are also very much surprised by the decision to
extend once again Mr. Al-Ahmar’s detention. We firmly
believe that there is absolutely no basis for his
interrogation, and call upon the Israeli judiciary to cease
tolerating such arbitrary decisions. Attorneys Pacheco and
Schwartz are considering appealing against this decision.
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
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.
Mr. al-Ahmar was
imprisoned several times in the past. 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 - Mireille Widmer: Tel. 02-5823372
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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