Middle East Monitor / January 15, 2022
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has committed 2,578 violations against Palestinians in the West Bank during 2021, the Committee of Families of Political Detainees announced on Friday.
In its annual report, the committee said that 2021 could have been named “the black year of the PA’s suppression of freedoms.”
The report stated that the violations included oppression of people, raids of mosques, dispersing protests in public squares, cancelling elections and using heavy sticks to beat anti-corruption protesters.
According to the report, the PA’s violations caused the deaths of two Palestinians, including activist Nizar Banat, who was kidnapped by the PA security services and beaten to death, and Amir Issa Abu Khaled al-Ledawi, who died of injuries after his vehicle overturned while being chased by Palestinian Security Services (PSS) forces.
In addition, the report pointed out that the PA’s violation of national principles continues, including the security cooperation with the Israeli occupation army against the Palestinian resistance and chasing the Palestinian freedom fighters.
The report announced that 592 Palestinian detainees experienced “the worst, psychological, verbal and physical torture inside the PA prisons,” noting that this pushed 43 to go on hunger strike in protest against their detention conditions.
At the same time, the report stated that the violations also included suspension of salaries and defamation against students, university professors, lawyers, engineers, preachers, traders, doctors and even MPs.