Middle East Monitor / February 12, 2022
Palestinian Authority (PA) security agencies committed 265 violations in January against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, the Committee of Families of Political Detainees disclosed on Friday.
The committee pointed out that the PA had escalated its aggression on Palestinian citizens in January, noting: “This ushers in another year of crackdown, police terrorism and political detention.”
The report found that the PA had detained 80 Palestinians, summoned 28, attacked and beaten nine, raided 27 homes, suppressed freedoms 16 times and tortured five prisoners, causing major deterioration of their health.
It also found that the PA confiscated the property of two Palestinians, turned 55 to arbitrary prosecution, chased 25 over their participation in protests and carried out security cooperation with the Israeli occupation in 18 separate incidents.
According to the report, the West Bank city of Nablus had the lion’s share of the violations (85) carried out by PA security agencies, followed by Ramallah (80).
The committee stated in the report that the PA insists on: “Deterring and violating the simplest rights of the Palestinian citizens, depending on orders from the political echelon in the light of lack of judicial, scrutiny and executive authorities.”
“The PA’s violations were reflected on the status of public freedoms and the national events related to the resistance against the Israeli occupation and its settlement,” the committee affirmed.
