Palestinian Police Carry out a Wave of Arrests following Clashes in Al Birej Camp

 

Ref: 56/2000

Date: 7 May 2000

Today, 7 May 2000, the people of Al Birej camp in the Gaza Strip embarked on a general strike as proposed by the camp’s Popular Committee in protest at what was described by the Committee as “the beating and insulting” of the people of Al Birej by Palestinian police.

Many businesses in the camp have been closed since this morning, and students refused to attend their schools. A tense situation dominated the camp. On 5 May 2000, regrettable events took place in the camp following a basketball game in which a number of spectators attempted to attack the players.

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights condemns the violence which took place, and the attempts to attack the players by a number of spectators. At the same time the Centre expresses its deep concern at the measures adopted indiscriminately by the Palestinian police against the residents of Al Birej camp. According to information gathered by the Centre from eye-witnesses, armed police forces entered the camp on Saturday evening 6 May, in response to the events which took place in the camp the day before.

In an affidavit given to the Centre, a 38 year old resident of Al Birej testified that at 10pm, while he was closing his shop, a number of Palestinian police attacked his home, located near his shop. He went and asked them why they were attacking his home. The police told him to be quiet, and then asked him about one of his relatives who has been in the West Bank for one month. They then handcuffed him and placed him in a police car where he found other residents who had also been arrested. He further testified that on the way to the police head quarters in Deir El Balah city he was beaten and insulted by the police officers.

In another testimony, a 20 year old resident of Al Birej camp stated that while he was walking with a friend at the entrance of the camp he was stopped by the police and insulted. He was then handcuffed, arrested and placed in a police car along with other residents who had been arrested. During their detention in the Deir El Balah police head quarters, and later in the police directorate in Gaza City, the residents were beaten by police officers.

In its press release published this morning, the Popular Committee of Al Birej camp expressed its shock at the actions of the police, asserting that hundreds of police officers entered the camp and attacked residents in an attempt to show the strength of the police. The press release described the police as “beating youths in the street without any legal justification and attacking old men in their homes, in order to show all the people in the camp that the police is strong and has the ability to punish any one who might harm a police officer.”

PCHR fieldworkers confirm that the police forces attacked a number of residents including elderly men and public figures in the camp. This action by the police led to the escalation of tension in the camp and as a result clashes took place between the police and the residents in which stones were thrown at police officers and a police car was burnt.

According to the Centre’s sources the police, as a result of these clashes, arrested 20 residents, some of whom were released within hours of their arrest. During their detention some of them had their heads shaved.

Whilst PCHR repeats its condemnation of violent activities and the attempt to attack the basketball players, it expresses its deep concern at the measures adopted by the police in response. PCHR considers that the behavior of the police forces was arbitrary, indiscriminate and reactionary. PCHR believes that an immediate investigation into the events must be carried out by the PNA and legal measures must be adopted against all those responsible.