Field Update

On Saturday, 3 April 2010, gunmen kidnapped ZIad Abu Haiya from Khan Yunis and took him to an unknown destination, where he was subjected to torture and severe beating. Earlier, on Friday, 2 April 2010, gunmen kidnapped Mohammed Mdokh from al-Nasser neighborhood in the north of Gaza city. He was taken to an unknown destination, where he was also severely beating.

According to Ziad Abu Haiya, 35, from Bani Suhaila village east of Khan Yunis, who works in the Preventive Security Service, while he was riding his motorcycle close to his home last Saturday, he was intercepted by masked gunmen driving a Subaru car. They forced him to get into the car at gunpoint, handcuffed him and covered his head with a sack. He was taken to an unknown destination where he was taken out of the car and led him four steps up. He was detained in a room after cuffing his feet, tying his hands to a window and asking him to turn his face to the wall. They then started beating him on his back, neck and different parts of his body. Abu Haiya added that those men kept beating him until following the Maghrib (Sunset) Prayer; they stopped only twice for praying. Following the Maghrib Prayer, someone loosed his handcuffs, pushed him to the ground and started beating him on his arms and legs. After that, he was taken to somewhere else, where one of the gunmen shot near Abu Haiya's head to terrify him. He was then blindfolded and taken by the car again to Asda' Media Town in the west of Khan Yunis, where they gave him his mobile phone at 21:30. Abu Haiya called a person, who phoned the police and ambulance, and he was taken to Nasser hospital to receive medical treatment.

Similarly, gunmen kidnapped Mohammed 'Abed Kamel Mdokh, 31, from al-Nasser neighborhood in the north of Gaza City, an employee in the Palestinian National Authority. They took him to an unknown destination and severely beat him. According to Mdokh, at approximately 16:00 on Friday, 2 April 2010, while he was getting out of his home in al-Nasser neighborhood in the north of Gaza City, a white Nissan car stopped near him and three masked gunmen got out of it. They forced him to get into the car at gunpoint. He was handcuffed to the back, his face was covered by his T-shirt and the gunmen started beating him on the head. Mosokh added that the kidnappers' car drove for about 30 minutes, then stopped in someplace where he was placed in a room. They started interrogating him regarding his activities with Fatah movement and reporting to Ramallah. Mdokh said that the gunmen muzzled him and started beating him with an iron bar on his feet. They stabbed him in one of his feet and continued beating him on his back and hands. One of the gunmen took his belt and put it on Mdokh's neck trying to strangle him and obtain confessions regarding the charges against him. After being subjected to torture, one of the gunmen threatened to kill him as he put the gun at Mdokh's knee to terrify him. He was beaten, and was then blindfolded, handcuffed and pulled to the car. They headed to an unknown destination and duped him there. After the gunmen had left, Mdokh could unfold his eyes. He knew that he was in al-Zarqa' area in al-Nafaq Street in the center of Gaza City. He called the neighbors, who untied him and took him to the clinic of Dr. Mahmoud al-Yazji. There were some policemen, who encouraged him to file a complaint in al-Sheikh Redwan police station; however, he only informed his family of his place. Later, he was taken to Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

PCHR is deeply concerned over the recurrence of such crimes, which are part of the state of security chaos prevalent in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), and:

1. Strongly condemns the recurrence of such crimes, which are part of the state of security chaos and assaults on the rule of law prevalent in the OPT.
2. Calls upon the Ministry of Interior and security services to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes of kidnapping and torture, so as to stop such crimes and maintain the security of people.
3. Strongly condemns such illegal acts carried out by unknown armed groups and gunmen, regardless of their motivations. PCHR confirms also that law enforcement bodies are solely competent to deal civilians.