Field Update

On Sunday, 16 May 2010, Mahmoud
Ibrahim Abdullah Torkman, 55, from Ya’bad village, southwest of Jenin, was
killed by two bullets to the stomach. ‘Ezzat Isma’il al-Fari, 30, from the nearby Kfairet village, fired at
Torkman in an apparent family dispute. Al-Fari turned himself in to the Palestinian police in Jenin after
committing the crime. This crime
constitutes part of the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons
prevailing in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

According to investigations
conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the testimony
of Ibrahim Torkman, 50, the victim’s brother, the events took place as follows:
‘Ezzat al-Fari, driving in a white Subaru car with two other persons, fired at
Mahmoud Torkman at approximately 13:00 on Sunday. At the time, Torkman was grazing animals on
his land, which is located in al-Jesser area in Ya’bad village, southwest of
Jenin. Torkman was wounded by two
bullets to the stomach and his brother, Ibrahim, transported him to the
intensive care unit at Jenin Public Hospital. However, medical efforts to save his life failed. While he was in the hospital, Ibrahim learned
that al-Fari had handed himself in to the Palestinian police in Jenin. Ibrahim stated that the crime was committed
due to a family dispute between the victim and Isma’il al-Fari, the
perpetrator’s father.

PCHR strongly condemns this crime,
which constitutes part of the state of security chaos and misuse of weapons
plaguing the OPT. PCHR calls upon the
Attorney General to open a serious investigation into this crime and to bring
the perpetrators to justice.