Al Mezan Condemns Assault against Group of Palestinians in Beit Lahiya and Calls for Investigations

Recently a group of men dressed in police uniforms, some of them masked, attacked a group of Palestinian citizens gathered in a residential home.
 In his statement to Al Mezan, one of those attacked reported that they were beaten while holding a religious seminar about the Prophet Mohammed and his family.
 As a result, some of those present sustained injuries including bruises and fractures.
  According to information given to Al Mezan by several of the people attacked, at approximately 6:30 pm on Saturday 14 January 2012, a large force of security apparatus personnel, some masked, holding cudgels and wearing helmets, broke into a residential house in Beit Lahiya, North Gaza district.
 The force beat those present, searched the house, destroyed some of the furniture, and took people to the police station in North Gaza district.
  According to the victims, they were beaten and interrogated at the police station before being admitted to Balsam Hospital to receive medical treatment.
 Seven of those attacked were referred to Kamal Odwan Hospital as they had sustained fractures in their limbs.
  When the persons attacked left the hospital, the Internal Security Apparatus handed them summonses to present themselves at its office in North Gaza district.
  The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the attack.
 It emphasizes that this attack is a violation of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to freely practice religious rituals.
 It violates human rights principles as well as the Palestinian Basic Law.
 Article 11 of the Palestinian Basic Law states that: “Personal freedom is a natural right, and shall be guaranteed and protected.
 It is unlawful to arrest, search, imprison, restrict the freedom, or prevent the movement of, any person, except by judicial order in accordance with the provisions of law.
”  Article 17 of the Palestinian Basic Law states: “Homes shall be inviolable; thus, they shall not be subject to surveillance, entrance or search, except in accordance with a valid judicial order, and in accordance with the provisions of law.
”   Al Mezan therefore calls on the Gazan government to open an investigation into the attack, disclose the results, bring the perpetrators to justice, and in general to reinforce the rule of law in the interest of achieving justice.
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