Human rights organizations called on Friday, July 24 for the release of Palestinian anti-corruption activists detained by the Palestinian Authority, which accuses them of violating the state of health emergency imposed as part of the fight against the pandemic novel coronavirus. “ Nineteen anti-corruption activists were arrested (Sunday) by Palestinian forces for staging a peaceful protest in Ramallah, West Bank, and sixteen of them were charged with 'illegal assembly' and 'violation of the state of 'emergency' ”, indicated the NGO Amnesty International.
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Ten activists have still not been released, according to Amnesty, which said in a statement dated Thursday that a court had extended their detention by fifteen days the day before. Believing that these activists were " arbitrarily detained ", the NGO demanded that all charges against them be dropped and that they be " immediately released ".
The Independent Palestinian Commission for Human Rights said the detainees were on hunger strike and two of them had been hospitalized. " These are political arrests against people carrying out peaceful activities ", lambasted to AFP Ammar Dweik, director general of the commission.
10,000 cases of coronavirus including 68 deaths
The Palestinian Authority has banned all gatherings and imposed a West Bank closure and curfews to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic after an upsurge in the number of infected people.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has officially recorded more than 10,000 cases of contamination in the occupied West Bank, including 68 deaths. This toll rose to 2,600 patients in early July, including seven dead. " Accusing these activists of violating the ban on assembly and the state of emergency is an unconstitutional way to exploit this state of emergency, " Palestinian human rights NGO al-Haq said in a statement. .
" This reinforces our fears about the renewal of the state of emergency and its exploitation for purposes other than the fight against the pandemic ", added the organization.
The Palestinian government declared on March 5 a state of health emergency, constantly renewed since, to allow the authorities to further control certain sectors in the event of an upsurge of the virus. " Any measure aimed at preventing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic must respect freedom of expression and peaceful assembly ," Amnesty International said.
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