Ref: 19/2016
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) denounces house raids carried out by the Palestinian General Intelligence Service (GIS) in the West Bank against female students in Hebron, and summonses issued against some of them to be questioned about their relation with the Islamic Bloc. According to PCHR’s investigations and statements of some female students, the house raids were carried out at late night, during which, GIS officers searched the aforementioned houses and mainly the students’ rooms. They then confiscated books, laptops, CDs, mobile phones and other private belongings.
PCHR documented those attacks as follow:
- At approximately 21:00, on Sunday, 06 March 2016, GIS officers raided and searched a house belonging to Rabab Azzam Abd al-Muhsen Qawsame (20), a student at Hebron University, in ‘Aqabet Tafouh area. After showing a search warrant that the family was not sure if it was issued by the GIS itself or Attorney General, GIS officers confiscated a laptop, 3 mobile phones and notebooks. They then threatened the aforementioned student of not returning her belongings if she published what happened on social media.
- At approximately 23:00, on the same day, GIS raided a house belonging to Khader Ahmed Ghuneimat in Surif village, northwest of Hebron, after showing a search warrant that the family was not sure if it was issued by the GIS itself or Attorney General. They thoroughly searched the house, including bedrooms and bathrooms, from which they confiscated books, papers, novels, religious books, diaries belonging to Ghuneimat’s daughter namely Israa’ (31), USB drives containing educational materials belonging to his son Huthaifah who is an MA student, bank vouchers and a mobile phone. Israa’ said to PCHR’s fieldworker, “I have a BA in Electronic Engineering and an MA in Contemporary Islamic Studies. The search was focused on my room, which was searched twice, and I have been threatened by the GIS officers to remain silent. They also asked me about my PC”.
- At approximately 23:00 on Sunday, GIS officers moved into Bani Na’im village, east of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Husam al-Deen Farah Manasrah. They gave the family a search warrant that the family was not sure if it was issued by the GIS itself or Attorney General. Husam’s daughter, Alaa’ Manasrah, said to a PCHR fieldworker, “I am a postgraduate student at Hebron University. On 06 March 2016, GIS officers raided and searched our house. A female officer then confiscated my cell phone after she allowed me to delete my photos and ordered me to give her the mobile password. They also confiscated some papers, my laptop and university books. Next day morning, I was summoned for interrogation at the GIS office in Hebron. I was questioned about the Islamic Bloc at the university and the girls’ names in the university committees. I was accused of funding the Islamic Bloc in the Hebron and Polytechnic Universities and communicating with parties in the Gaza Strip for funds, emphasizing that I already received money and gave it to the Bloc. Moreover, I was threatened that my father, brother Hamam (15) and I would be arrested if I did not answer their questions. Furthermore, they asked for my email address and Facebook account with their passwords. In the evening, I was released and asked to return to them after two days in order to give the names of activists in the Islamic Bloc.”
- At approximately 23:00 on Sunday, GIS officers raided and searched a house belonging to Sojoud Saleh al-Darayish (21), a student at Hebron University, without showing a search warrant. They confiscated account books belonging to her father in addition to Sojoud’s cell phone, laptop and religious and university books.
- At approximately 22:00 on Tuesday, 08 March 2016, GIS officers moved into al-Tofah Valley in Hebron. They raided a house belonging to Bashir Hafiz Abdul Nabi and gave him a search warrant issued by the Attorney General to look for inciting materials against the Palestinian Authority (PA). They searched all rooms, checked all papers and CDs, and confiscated MA dissertations and two digital cameras belonging to Abdul Nabi’s daughter Safaa, who is a university student.
PCHR denounces GIS raids of the university students’ houses, interrogating them about their lawful activities and confiscation of their private belongings to know whom they contact with in a clear violation of their privacy. PCHR also calls upon the Palestinian government to abide by the law in effect and the Attorney General to open an investigation into the aforementioned cases.