Ref: 63/2008

Date: 21 July 2008

Time: 11:30 GMT

 

PCHR Calls for Investigation into Police Shooting of a Young Man

On Sunday, 20 July 2008, ‘Ouda Jamal Khader, 19, from Jabalya refugee camp, was wounded to the shoulder by a gunshot fired by Palestinian police officers who chased him following a quarrel in a soccer match in the refugee camp.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 19:00 on Sunday, 20 July 2008, a quarrel erupted between two young men during a soccer match in the Jabalya Service Club. A Police force consisting of 8 policemen arrived to end the dispute. One of the young men, ‘Ouda Jamal Khader, 19, fled from the scene. The Police gave chase in the streets and fired several bullets directly at him according to his testimony. The shooting resulted in wounding Khader with a bullet to the left shoulder and shrapnel to the back. He managed to hide in a house in the Jabalya refugee camp. The Police surrounded the house and tried to arrest him despite knowing that he was wounded. Several people gathered and intervened to prevent his arrest. Later, Khader’s father was able to take him to al-‘Awda Hospital in Jabalya refugee camp, where physicians took out the bullet.

The Director of the Jabalya Police Force, Amjad Sarhan, informed PCHR’s fieldworker in a telephone interview that the Police fired several bullets in the air during the chase; and that one of the policemen fired at the ground near Khader. As a result, the bullet ricocheted and hit Khader to the shoulder. Sarhan added that the Police have opened an investigation into the incident, and that the policeman suspected of firing directly was suspended.

PCHR is concerned over the use of excessive force and endangering civilian lives without any reasonable threat to the lives of the policemen. PCHR calls for:

-         Seriously investigating this incident to clarify the circumstances of Khader’s injury, and to declare the results of the investigation.

-         Ensuring that definite and clear firing instructions for law-enforcement officials that comply with international standards and respect human rights are followed.