PA FORCES RAID OFFICE OF TWO PALESTINIAN MPS

Ramallah, 2 Jumadil Awwal 1436/21 February 2015 (MINA) –  Two members of the Palestinian parliament on Thursday said that Palestinian security forces raided their office Wednesday night in Ramallah after arresting the office manager.

Fatah-affiliated lawmakers Majid Abu Shammala and Alaa Yaghi told reporters that the attack on their office was part of ongoing violations of the law and “abuses” of power by PA officials.

“Remaining silent in the face of such practices has encouraged individual PA leaders to go to the extremes,” Abu Shammala said, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

“What has happened is beyond all red lines,” the lawmakers added, highlighting that they will bring legal action against the general director of the PA security forces Ziad Hab el-Reeh and against the Palestinian president himself.

Abu Shammala and Yaghi invited all Palestinian lawmakers to attend a news conference the two plan to hold inside their office.

During the raid, office manager Hazim al-Tatar was arrested.

In 2013, Amnesty International urged the PA to end abuses against freedom of speech in the occupied West Bank.

“The rights to freedom of expression and assembly are being severely eroded,” the rights watchdog said, highlighting repeated examples of force used against peaceful demonstrations.

“The Palestinian Authority needs urgently to call an end to this pattern of abuse by its police and security forces and to break the cycle of impunity which fosters it,” regional chief Philip Luther said at the time.

The US-trained Palestinian preventive security forces have been accused by Palestinian activists of carrying out the will of the Israeli occupation in the past, targeting those critical of its policies. (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)