HRW slams brazen human rights abuses by Palestinian authorities

THE international rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza of arresting, abusing and criminally charging journalists and activists who are expressing peaceful criticism of authorities..

The crackdown violates obligations that Palestine recently assumed in ratifying international treaties protecting free speech, HRW said.

“Both Palestinian governments, operating independently, have apparently arrived at similar methods of harassment, intimidation and physical abuse of anyone who dares criticise them,” said Sari Bashi, Israel and Palestine country director at HRW.

“The Palestinian people fought hard to gain the protections that accompany membership in the international community, and their leaders should take their treaty obligations seriously.”

HRW documented five cases – two in the West Bank and three in Gaza – in which security forces arrested or questioned journalists, a political activist, and two musicians based on their criticism of the authorities.

Four of those arrested said security forces abused and tortured them.

The authorities in Gaza denied the allegations.

In the West Bank the authorities said they could not investigate alleged abuses in the absence of a formal complaint.

These crackdowns follow a pattern of violations of the right to free speech and due process that

HRW has documented in the past five years.

However, in the West Bank, some progress has been made in protecting the rights of those arrested.

In Gaza, Hamas authorities detained and intimidated an activist who criticised the government for failing to protect a man with a mental disability; a journalist who posted a photograph of a woman looking for food in a garbage bin; and a journalist who alleged medical malpractice at a public hospital after a newborn baby died.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority (PA) arrested and charged activists and musicians who ridiculed security forces for co-operating with Israel and accused the government of corruption.

The offending statements were allegedly made on Facebook postings, graffiti and rap songs.

In the abuse cases, activists, journalists and other victims said security officers beat or kicked them, deprived them of sleep and proper food, hosed them with cold and then hot water, and made them maintain uncomfortable positions for long hours.

In Gaza, two detainees said security officials made them sign commitments not to criticise the authorities without evidence.

In the West Bank, both men arrested faced criminal charges, including defamation and insulting a public official.

These crackdowns on free speech and the use of torture violate the legal commitments that the PA assumed in 2014, when it ratified the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture.

They also violate provisions of the Palestinian Basic Law protecting speech.

At a time when many Palestinians are critical of their leaders, the crackdowns have a chilling effect on public debate in the traditional news media and on social media platforms. – ANA