PCHR Calls for Investigations into Wounding 5 Palestinian Civilians by the Palestinian Police in Hebron
Ref: 100/2008
Date: 10 November 2008
Time: 11:30 GMT
PCHR Calls for Investigations into Wounding 5 Palestinian Civilians by the Palestinian Police in Hebron
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the use of excessive force by the Palestinian police while attempting to arrest a civilian from the al-Ja’abari clan in al-Rama neighborhood in Hebron. While PCHR affirms that the police have the right to search for and arrest law violators following legal procedures, without being resisted by the civilians, it calls upon concerned authorities to conduct immediate investigation into this incident, take legal action against the perpetrators and take necessary measures to ensure the non-recurrence of such incidents.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR and testimonies by eyewitnesses, on Sunday evening, 9 November 2008, Bilal Sufian Karama al-Ja’bari, 23, was driving unregistered car owned by his brother, Nader, in Namerah area in Ras al-Jora neighborhood. Al-Ja’bari crashed a stone bowl used for cultivation purposes in front of the building of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH). Immediately, a member of the Palestinian traffic police arrived on a motorcycle and reported the accident to his officer. The car was then pulled by the police.
At approximately 19:00 on the same day, a joint security force of more than 100 members arrived at al-Rama neighborhood and surrounded Nader al-Ja’bari’s house, in order to arrest him. When the family asked for some time to bring him, security violently attacked several houses in the area. They beat Murad Jamal al-Ja’bari, 27. When Murad’s mother intervened to protect her son, who had no relation with the accident, security men also beat her and opened fire into the air. Soon after, a number of boys threw stones at security men. A member of the al-Ja’bari family also fired at security men who returned fire. As a result, 5 civilians were wounded, including a woman who was approximately 300 meters from the scene. The members of the joint security force also beat a number of bystanders, one of them was identified as Mohammed Talal Seder, 22, who sustained fractures to his limps. The police also apprehended 6 members of the al-Ja’bari clan for interrogation.
Sources of the Palestinian police in Hebron told PCHR that a police force headed towards al-Rama neighborhood to arrest the civilian who caused the accident after receiving a complaint by the TIPH. The resources stated that when the force arrived to al-Rama neighborhood, the al-Ja’bari family hid targeted person, so the chief of police ordered bringing him. The sources added that members of the al-Ja’bari clan began to fire at members of the security force, who were then supported by a backup force. The source affirmed that members of the al-Ja’bari clan hid in neighboring houses and threw stones at members of the polices force, who responded by throwing stones, resulting in casualties on both sides.
Those who were wounded by gunshots are:
1. Sami Karama al-Ja’bari, 65, seriously wounded by a gunshot to the right thigh that hit the main artery;
2. Hussein Hassouna al-Ja’bari, 60, wounded by a gunshot to the right hand;
3. ‘Ayed Karama al-Ja’bari, 36, wounded by a gunshot to the right leg;
4. Fathi Naji al-Ja’bari, 30, wounded by a gunshot to the left thigh; and
5. Hiba Jamal al-Ja’bari, 27, wounded by a gunshot to the abdomen.
PCHR in concerned that excessive force might have been used endangering the lives of civilian, without serious threats being posed to the lives of police officers. Accordingly PCHR calls for:
1. Conducting serious investigation into the reported incident, revealing the circumstances in which 5 civilians were wounded and publishing the results of investigation; and
2. Stressing the availability of clear and precise instructions that regulate the use of weapons by law enforcement officials that conform to international standards and ensure respect for human rights.