The Palestinian Authority’s Preventive Security Services (PSS) arrested Palestinian political activist, freedom fighter and former prisoner in Israeli jails, Omar Assaf, after raiding his house in the central West Bank city of Ramallah on the evening of Wednesday, March 25.
The Palestinian security apparatus claimed on Thursday, March 26, that Assaf was apprehended by the PSS because he led the drafting of a statement, allegedly insulting and criticizing Arab states in the region regarding their role in the ongoing aggression on Iran.
According to media reports, Assaf was one of 200 individuals, who signed the draft statement, which condemns the US-Israeli aggression on the Islamic Republic. It also calls for the removal of US military bases in a number of Arab countries across West Asia, which have been reportedly used to launch deadly airstrikes against Iran.
Moreover, the signatories argued that these bases were installed to protect Israel not the Arab countries and their people.
Widespread condemnation from Palestinian rights groups and national movements
Lawyers for Justice, a Palestinian group of human rights activists and lawyers, expressed its deep concern about the detention of Assaf, which “raises many questions regarding the extent of respect for legal safeguards and public freedoms guaranteed by the Palestinian Basic Law.”
The group clarified that Assaf was referred to the Public Prosecution, where he was interrogated over the following charges:
- Violation of the measures taken by the state to maintain its neutrality during the war.
- Defaming the authority
- Stirring up sectarian strife.
It added that Assaf’s detention was extended for 15 days to complete the investigation procedures, following the initial hearing.
Lawyers for Justice also demanded the immediate release of the Palestinian political activist, who “should be tried in accordance with fair legal principles that guarantee his rights and maintain his dignity.”
For its part, the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) denounced the arrest of Assaf as a step that “reflects the continued absence of the rule of law and public freedoms, as well as the escalation of arbitrary arrests based on opinion and political activity.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) slammed the PA’s action against Assaf as “an infringement on freedom of expression and civil peace, and an attack on civil and democratic liberties.”
Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi said that the behaviour of the PA’s security services towards the prominent freedom fighter represents a “disregard for national calls” and an “attempt to silence free national voices”.
Read more: Palestinian Authority forces kill two children in northern West Bank
The post PA arrests Omar Assaf over statement denouncing US-Israeli aggression on Iran appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.
From Peoples Dispatch via This RSS Feed.