Ref: 30/2011

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the murder of actor and director Juliano Mer-Khamis, Director of al-Hurriya Theater, in Jenin refugee camp in the north of the West Bank by unknown gunman yesterday.  PCHR calls upon the government in Ramallah to seriously investigate this incident and bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.

According to investigations conducted by PCHR and eyewitnesses' accounts, at approximately 16:00 on Monday, 04 April 2011, a veiled person carrying a pistol stopped Juliano Mer-Khamis, 53, near al-Hurriya Theater in Jenin refugee camp as he was driving his red Citroen car with his 9-month-old baby and Raeda Yahya Sweilam, 34, the babysitter of Mer-Khamis's baby. Mer-Khamis is a Palestinian belonging to the Palestinian community inside the Green Line.  He held the Israeli nationality and used to live in Jenin refugee camp in the north of the West Bank. Unknown gunman opened fire at Mer-Khamis from a very close range. Mer-Khamis was hit by five bullets to the chest and he died instantly. Sweilam also sustained wounds by a bullet to the arm. The gunman managed to escape in the alleys of Jenin refugee camp.

It should be noted that Juliano is the son of great Palestinian struggler Saliba Mer-Khamis. He was living in Nazareth.  His mother who is a defender of Palestinian human rights founded al-Hajar Theater in Jenin refugee camp in 1987, which was destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces in 2002 during their incursion in Jenin. In 2006, Juliano founded al-Hurriya Theater in Jenin refugee camp and he served as the director of the theater until his death yesterday.

PCHR strongly condemns this crime which is part of the security chaos and misuse of weapons plaguing the occupied Palestinian territory, and calls upon the Palestinian government in Ramallah to open a serious investigation into this incident to reveal the circumstances and to bring the perpetrators to justice.