Ref: 138/2019

On Tuesday, 03 December 2019, Ahmed Sa’ied al-Remlawi (60), from Jericho, died in Jericho and Valleys Detention Facility.  Al-Remlawi was taken to Jericho Governmental Hospital after his health condition deteriorated and he complained of nausea.

On its official website, the Palestinian Police declared that al-Remlawi’s body would be referred to the Forensic Medicine Department to fulfill the legal proceedings and identify the death cause.

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)’s follow up, at approximately 09:30 on Tuesday, al-Remlawi was transferred from the Jericho and the Valleys Detention Facility to Jericho Governmental Hospital, where he was announced dead 40 minutes later. It should be noted that al-Remlawi was detained upon a judicial warrant for 12 days on financial grounds.

It is noteworthy that this was the fourth death case in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) prisons and detention facilities in 2019; al-Remlawi and another detainee died in suspicious circumstances, raising fears of torture in the West Bank; while 2 others died in the Gaza Strip, 2 detainees died one due to a heart attack and the other died after receiving an electric shock.

In view of the above, PCHR:

1. Highlights that life of persons detained in prisons and detention facilities falls within the responsibilities of the Ministry of Interior and Prison Service according to the Reform and Rehabilitation Centers Law No. 6/1998 as Article 7 of it stipulates that “…Inmates in any prison remain under the legal guardianship of the prison director…..”.

2. Stresses the responsibility of the competent authorities like the PLC members, Attorney General and judges to supervise the lawfulness and circumstances of detention according to article 70 of the Judicial Authority Law 1/2002 that grants the Attorney General and judges the right to supervise and inspect the conditions, wellness and lawfulness of detention.