Gaza’s Internal Security Apparatus detained nine and summoned three journalists, media workers, and Palestinian Authority (PA) employees[1].
Al Mezan has identified the detainees as follows: Ashraf Ahmed Abu Khsewan, 32, employee of Al Ketab TV Channel Muner Juma’a Al Mnerawi, 38, administrative director of the Palestinian Journalists Union Hesham Ramadan Al Ja’ab, 49, lieutenant in the Preventative Security Forces Mahmoud Omar Qannan, 34; employee of the PA His cousin ‘Arafat Mustafa Qannan, 34, on the grounds of verbal dispute with the apparatus members Mustafa Mohammed Meqdad, 34 Juma’a Adnan Shomar, 29 ‘Amr Ad-Dwahedi, 23 Majdi Isleem, 29 At approximately 9:00 am on Monday 21 January 2013, the apparatus summoned Hussein Abdel Jawwad Karsou’, 37, and Abdel Kareem Fat’hi Hijji, 22, to its office west of Gaza City.
In their affidavits to Al Mezan, they went to the apparatus office on Wednesday 23 January 2013 as requested and were detained in a room for half an hour.
During this time they were asked to give the apparatus the passwords for their email addresses.
The apparatus confiscated their ID cards, took pictures of them, and after issuing another summons for Karsou’ for Wednesday 30 January 2013 and Hijji for Thursday 31 January 2013, released the two men.
The reason behind their detention remains unknown.
In a separate incident last Monday, journalist Yousif Hammad, 24, was detained for three hours by the security apparatus and was obliged to sign a document committing not to participate in conferences outside the Gaza Strip or to make any international communications.
He was then given a summons by the apparatus to its office for Wednesday 31 January 2013.
According to Al Mezan’s investigations, which are based on affidavits from the eyewitnesses, being the detainees’ relatives, a force from the apparatus broke into the detainees’ homes, thoroughly searched them, and confiscated computers, cell phones, and other personal items.
The detainees’ relatives asserted that the searches were conducted without search warrants from the public prosecutor.
On Wednesday 23 January 2013, the Ministry of Interior published a press release on its website referring to the websites that had published pieces on the detainees as “suspicious”.
The press release reads, “following a summons of a number of persons as part of its national duty to maintain security and stability, and as an explanation for the facts and to remove any ambiguity which can be used by some opportunists who aim to foil Palestinian reconciliation efforts and hate to see that we live in security, stability and social peace in the Gaza Strip.
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” (Informal translation of part of Arabic version of the press release by Al Mezan).
On Wednesday, Al Mezan received a phone call from a spokesperson from the Palestinian police asking Al Mezan to a meeting.
Al Mezan accepted the police invitation.
During the meeting, the spokesperson asserted that the apparatus detained some individuals who were seeking to foil reconciliation efforts and after signing commitments they would be released in the evening of the same day.
Al Mezan’s representative emphasized during the meeting the importance of communicating with human rights organizations.
He also condemned arbitrary arrest which violates the criminal procedures law and stressed the importance of respecting this law.
Arresting people, detaining them, and then searching their homes and confiscating their personal belongings cannot be justified without having a warrant from the concerned authorities.
Al Mezan’s representative asserted that Al Mezan as well as other human rights organizations support the taking of due procedures against violators of this law.
In addition, he emphasized the importance of upholding legal duties by law enforcement officers and rejected the practice of arrest without charge.
He noted that detainees should have the right to defend themselves.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns the act of arbitrary arrest and the practice of breaking into and searching homes without a warrant.
Al Mezan asserts that the activities described herein were conducted in a way that violate particularly, the criminal procedures law No 3 of 2001, which states that the summons and warrant should include the full name of the accused person, the crime under which he is accused and the article of accusation, the complete address, and the period of detention if found.
Al Mezan calls for the immediate release of persons who were arrested without respect to legal obligations.
Al Mezan asserts the need for investigating the above mentioned incidents to ensure respect for individual rights and to uphold legal obligations, particularly by law enforcement officers.
End
[1] It should be noted that the Palestinian Authority had instructed tens of thousands of public servants in Gaza to stay home since the start of the internal political rift in 2007.
In particular, teachers and health personnel who complied with calls for strikes in 2008 have not been allowed to return to their jobs since then.
These people are paid by the Palestinian Authority.