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HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS FROM LAW SOCIETY HELD INCOMMUNICADO
BY PALESTINIAN POLICE
12 March 1998
Shortly after General Director of LAW Khader Shkirat concluded a
successful meeting with President Arafat in which President Arafat
expressed his recognition of the importance of the work of LAW and the
upholding of human rights, and a few days after President Arafat's
speech to the legislative council promising respect for human rights,
the Criminal Investigations Unit of the Palestinian Police, under the
command of Ghazi Jabali, interrogated and held incommunicado Executive
Director Shawqi Issa of LAW Society and Chief Editor Samih Muhsin of
People's Rights Magazine in the main police station in Ramallah.
Police commanders interrogated the two about the last issue of LAW's
publication, People's Rights, which contained several articles
critical of the human rights record of the PA security services, and
particularly of the Palestinian police. The two were accused with
the slander of Police Chief Jabali.
They received summons for questioning on 11 March. They arrived at
the police station at 11:00 a.m. and were held incommunicado
throughout their detention. Lawyers for LAW were refused permission
to see the two. Commanders in the police station claim that they
could not be released until they receive orders from Ghazi Jabali, in
Gaza.
Shawqi Issa and Samih Mohsen were released at 10:00 in the evening on
12 March. They were asked to sign a document pledging not to
criticize the Palestinian Authority, but the two refused, expressing
surprise at the request.
We at LAW society are shocked and surprised at this detention, which
represents a clear violation of the freedom of expression and is an
assault on Palestinian human rights activists in Palestine. Their
arrest and detention violates local and international agreements to
protect human rights. We will continue to defend human rights
regardless of the authority responsible, and we confirm the right to
the freedom of expression as integral to the democratic process. We
consider these detentions as a continuation of the human rights
violations committed by Chief Commander Ghazi Jabali. This incident
requires the PA leadership to take steps to prevent a recurrence of
this kind of violation of human rights committed by Commander Jabali.
We thank all those who stood with us in solidarity against this
detention and all those who worked for their release.
____________________________________________
LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and
the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to
preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also an
affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human
Rights.
LAW - the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights
and the Environment
PO Box 20873
Jerusalem, via Israel
Tel: (972) (2) 5812364/5824559
Fax: (972) (2) 5811072
email: lawe@netvision.net
web site: http://www.birzeit.edu/lawe
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