5 Staff  Members of Human Rights Organizations Arrested in Gaza

 

Ref: 41-2019

The Palestinian police in Gaza is now detaining Sabreen Al-Tartour, a fieldworker at the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) in Gaza City, and three of her colleagues who were identified as lawyer Samir Al-Mana’mah and Fieldworker Khaled Abu Sbitan from Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and Fieldworker Fadi Abu Ghanimah from Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights. All of them were arrested an hour ago while they were on duty documenting human rights violations in Gaza City.

 

Moreover, PCHR’s lawyer Mohammed Beseiso, who headed to the police station to provide the necessary legal aid to his colleagues, was detained as well.

 

This comes less than 24 hours after the beating of lawyer Jamil Sarhan, Director of the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) in Gaza, and lawyer Bakerr Turkmani, ICHR’s Complaints Officer while they were on duty in Deir El Balah in addition to the beating of lawyer Ra’fat Salhah, Director of ICHR’s Gaza Office.

 

PCHR strongly condemns these practices and is concerned that this would be a prelude to a new phase in terms of the Gaza Authorities’ treatment with the human rights organizations.

 

PCHR Calls for immediate release of the detained colleagues.