2018-06-14

West Bank & Gaza

Human Rights Defenders / Gaza / position paper

Urgent Press Release

14/06/2018

A Shameful Night … The Government Suppresses Peaceful Demonstration with Violence

The security forces, in uniform and civilian clothing, repress the peaceful assembly "Lift the Sanctions against Gaza" by force, and detain a number of demonstrators

The Palestinian civil society actors and human rights organizations strongly condemn the suppression of the peaceful demonstration “Lift the Sanctions against Gaza” by the security services, in uniform and civilian clothing, assaulting the demonstrators with excessive force and detaining some of them for hours, where they were severely beaten, manifesting an unprecedented level of violence. In light of these events, the aforementioned actors have decided to establish an independent commission of inquiry consisting of civil society actors and human rights organizations, as they do not have faith in the official investigation commissions or their recommendations.

Dozens of officers from the police, security forces, and riot police (some of whom masked) were deployed around Al-Manara and Al-Saa’a squares in the center of Ramallah, turning them into a military barracks at approximately 21:00, while a number of them boarded the roofs of commercial stores in preparation for the arrival of the participants in the demonstration, which was announced to begin with everyone gathering at Al-Manara Square at 09:30. The journalists who were present in the surrounding area were prevented from filming or covering the event. At approximately 09:20, as a number of demonstrators marched al-Manara Square, riot police carrying shields lined-up and walked towards the demonstrators. They started firing teargas and sound bombs to disperse the demonstrators, and they assaulted them with batons.

The demonstrators gathered at Rukab Junction near Al-Manara and Al-Saa’a squares, chanting slogans calling for lifting the sanctions against Gaza. At approximately 10:10 am, dozens of young men in civilian clothes, all wearing white caps with a kaffiyeh pattern, walked from the riot police’s side of the street and started cheering for Fatah, and they mingled with the crowd. The “white caps” attacked the demonstrators, severely beating them to disperse the crowd. They then dragged some of the demonstrators to the police cars while beating them, in preparation for their detention. In addition, the “white caps” assaulted a number of citizens for filming the attacks with their personal mobile phones, which were eventually taken away from them, and all of the journalists were prohibited from lifting their cameras to film what was going on.

Following the dispersal of the demonstration, the "white hats" spread in the surrounding streets, attacked a number of demonstrators, and sprayed pepper gas in their faces in an attempt to prevent their gathering again while other security officers in civilian clothing arrested a group of demonstrators as they exited the area. Those who were arrested were by bus to the police station, where many of them were severely beaten and verbally assaulted before being released. Consequently, a number of demonstrators were taken to the Ramallah Governmental Hospital for treatment, but security agents followed them, confiscated their ID cards, and ordered them to come to the police station to get them back.

Accordingly, the Palestinian civil society actors and human rights organizations stress the following:

1- We stand ready to hold meetings and consultations and to initiate extensive dialogues to escalate their action in accordance with the law and the international human rights conventions which the State of Palestine is bound by, and in line with the magnitude of the crime and the disaster that took place last night, which blatantly violated fundamental freedoms and posed a serious threat to civil peace. We continue to express our support for the peaceful movement and its legitimate demands.

2- We affirm the citizens’ right to peaceful assembly and to the freedom of expression, both of which are fundamental rights stipulated in the Palestinian Basic Law and the international human rights conventions which Palestine has acceded to without reservations.

3- We decide the establishment of an independent investigation commission which consists of civil society actors and human rights organizations, given the lack of trust in the work and findings of previous official investigation commissions. The said commission shall specifically focus on the use of security officers in civilian clothing to assault citizens, including journalists.

4- We emphasize that the use of security agents, or others, in civilian clothes to suppress and assault citizens constitutes a dangerous precedent which threatens civil peace, especially in light of the explicit incitement and threats against the participants in the movement.

5- We affirm that the Public Prosecution must rise to its legal responsibilities by initiating criminal investigations in the assaults committed against the citizens, especially by the security agents wearing “white caps”, who must be brought to justice.

6- We affirm our demand for lifting of the sanctions imposed on the Gaza Strip, including the full payment of salaries for governmental employees, in accordance with the decisions of the Palestinian National Council. We stress the vitality of moving towards a comprehensive national dialogue away from the bilateral dialogues between Fatah and Hamas to achieve national reconciliation, and holding presidential and legislative elections as soon as possible. 

The Palestinian Human Rights Council

The Coalition for Integrity and Accountability – AMAN

The Palestinian NGOs’ Network (PNGO)

The Palestinian Coalition for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights – ADALAH

Representatives of the Palestinian democratic actors