Ref: 175/2007

Date: 16 December  2007

Time: 12:30 GMT

PCHR Calls for Investigation into the Death of a Detainee in Gaza Central Prison in Gaza

PCHR calls upon the Attorney-General to investigate the circumstances in which a detainee died in Gaza Central Prison in Gaza.    

According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 15:15 on Thursday, 13 December 2007, the body of Rami Mohammed Khalifa, 27, from Rafah, was transported in a police vehicle from Gaza Central Prison to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. According to the forensic department at the hospital, no signs of torture or injuries were seen on the body, but Khalifa was suffering from stomach ulcer. Samples were taken from tissues to find out the cause of the death.

According to Khalifa’s family, he had not suffered from any health problem before he was arrested by the Palestinian police on 4 December 2007.

Khalifa and his brother Mohammed, 17, were arrested by the Palestinian police in Rafah, for accusations of murdering 15-year-old Mahmoud Bassem al-Sha’er, who disappeared on 2 December 2007, and his body was found in Khalifa’s house in al-Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah on 6 December 2007.

In light of the above:

1)      PCHR calls upon the Attorney-General, as mandated by the Criminal Procedures Law of 2001, to investigate Khalifa’s death.

2)      PCHR reiterates its call for the Attorney-General and the civil police to resume their work in the Gaza Strip to maintain citizens’ rights.