Ref: 71/2022
Date: 06 June 2022
Time: 10:40 GMT
On Sunday, 05 June 2022, 2 persons set a lawyer on fire at the courthouse in al-Zahra Housing Project, southern Gaza City (Gaza Strip’s main court complex), causing him critical burns throughout his body.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns with the strongest terms the assault on the lawyer in the courthouse, considering it an infringement on the immense prestige of the judiciary as the lawyer is an integral part of the judicial systems.
According to PCHR’s follow-up, at around 10:00 on Sunday, 2 persons set on fire lawyer ‘Issam Fawzi Hasan Abu Watfah (55), from Gaza City, at the courthouse in southwestern Gaza City when one of them poured benzene on the lawyer from behind while the other set him on fire. The lawyer sustained burns throughout his body and was taken for treatment at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, where doctors said that he has second- and third-degree burns. The police opened an investigation into the incident and announced arrest of 2 suspects.
Abu Watfah said that he was at the courthouse heading to the upper floor when a person sprayed an inflammable substance at his back, and another set his body on fire with a lighter in his hand. The lawyer added, “I rushed to the execution department, and people started to gather around me and put out the fire. Shortly, I was taken by an ambulance to al-Shifa Hospital.” The lawyer emphasized that he was not related to the case of the persons suspected of carrying out the attack.
PCHR hereby condemns the assault on the lawyer and emphasizes the important role of lawyers in achieving justice and guaranteeing citizens’ enjoyment of their right to litigation and fair legal proceedings.
PCHR calls upon the police to take all necessary precautions to avoid recurrence of similar incidents, especially at the judiciary facilities, in a way that does not jeopardize citizens’ fundamental rights and dignity.
PCHR demands that the perpetrators is brought to justice in order to take the proper legal action that guarantees fair trial and maintain civil peace simultaneously.
