Ref: 37/2015
Date: 30 June 2015
Time: 11:35 GMT
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the Attorney General to open investigations into the circumstances of the deaths of two detainees identified as Khaled Hammad al-Belbeisi (41) in the detention cell in Nussairat police station in the central Gaza Strip and Hazim Yasin ‘Edwan (29) in Bethlehem police directorate, and publish the results.
On Monday morning, 29 June 2015, Khaled Hammad al-Belbeisi, who was detained in al-Nussairat police station in the central Gaza Strip, was pronounced dead. According to information obtained by PCHR from al-Belbeisi’s family, the family received a phone call on Sunday afternoon, 28 June 2015, from the police saying that Khaled was at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in a very serious condition. When the family arrived at the hospital, they were informed of his death. His body was transferred on the following day morning to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where the forensic department reported that he died of a heart attack.
‘Abdel Rahman Hammad al-Belbeisi (62) said that on Thursday, 25 June 2015, police officers arrested his brother, Khaled, who worked under an UNRWA temporary job creation program and was married with 4 children, from his house in Nussairat refugee camp upon a complaint filed by his wife claiming that he abused her. He added that the police officers took Khaled to al-Nussairat police station, where he was detained. His family members tried to visit him the next day, but the police refused to allow them before presenting him to the prosecutor. The family were informed that he would be detained for 48 hours. He was questioned about the charges against him, and his detention period was extended for another 48 hours.
Police sources stated that at approximately 19:30 on Sunday, 28 June 2015, al-Belbeisi suffered from breathing difficulties while he was in detention. Therefore, he was taken to al-Nussairat governmental clinic, where he was given two Assival and Decort injections, and then returned to the cell. At approximately 22:30, after the detainees finished the Ishaa’ and Taraweeh prayers in the yard and came back to their detention cell, they found Khaled’s body stiff, so he was immediately taken to al-Nussairat clinic, where they found out that he died.
In a separate incident, at approximately 22:30 on Saturday, 27 June 2015, the Bethlehem Police Directorate declared the death of a detainee, Hazim Yassin Mahmoud Odwan (29), from al-Eizariya village East of Jerusalem, in the detention facility of Bethlehem Police Directorate. Odwan was arrested on the same day afternoon by the Eizariya police and was taken to the Bethlehem police station according to two arrest warrants issued by the Bethlehem and Ramallah courts. ‘Odwan’s body was transferred to the forensic center in Bethlehem, and initial results of checking showed that he died due to the lack of oxygen. PCHR learnt that the police opened an investigation into the incident to find out the circumstances of Odwan’s death.
In light of the above:
