Arrests, beatings, and intimidation.. The Israeli way!!
Afrasianet - The PA authorities in the West Bank continued their campaign of arrests of a number of activists and political opponents, including members and leaders of Hizb ut-Tahrir, according to local sources, while the Committee of the Families of Political Detainees said that the campaign was accompanied by attacks and violations during arrests and house raids.
According to the circulating data, the arrests included Mr. Yousef Abu Zar, who is one of the leaders of Hizb ut-Tahrir in the West Bank, while the PA authorities arrested Fadi Younis, who was severely beaten during his arrest.
The PA also arrested the three brothers, Mohammed, Ahmed and Abdullah Nasser, after raiding and searching their house.
In Hebron, the PA arrested activist Shadi Osama after a raid on his house, while the city of Ramallah witnessed the arrest of Mr. Khaled al-Natsheh, along with the blind Sheikh Odeh Fawalha, who works as an imam and preacher for a number of mosques in the city.
These arrests come in conjunction with a campaign that the Committee for the Families of Political Detainees said targeted elements and leaders of Hizb ut-Tahrir, in addition to prosecuting activists and political opponents, demanding the release of detainees and an end to political persecutions.
Political Detention in the West Bank
Following these arrests, the Committee of Families of Political Detainees issued a statement condemning the "barbaric arrest campaign" targeting Hizb ut-Tahrir elements and leaders in the West Bank.
The committee said the arrests come "against the background of their political positions and opinions", considering that they represent a continuation of the approach of suppressing freedoms and confiscating other opinions.
According to her testimonies, the campaign was not limited to arrests, but also included breaking into homes and beating detainees and their family members, in addition to terrorizing women and children and tampering with property inside their homes.
The committee linked these arrests to the upcoming democratic entitlements, including legislative and National Council elections, arguing that the continued prosecution of political opponents raises concerns about political pluralism and the course of the democratic process.
The committee called for the immediate release of the detainees, whom it described as politicians, and all those detained on the basis of their opinions and positions, calling on national forces and human rights institutions to intervene to stop the "policy of political persecution."
These developments come in light of previous UN criticism and concerns about the conditions of freedoms and arrests in the West Bank, including with regard to the practices of the PA organs and the arrests carried out against activists and opponents.
On the other hand, the families of political detainees continue to organize vigils and protest events to demand the release of their sons, and to stop arrests on the basis of political positions and opinions, amid demands from human rights bodies to guarantee the rights of detainees and stop political prosecutions.
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