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| PCHR Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PRESS RELEASE |
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Ref: 188/2004
Date: 26 December 2004
Time: 12:00 GMT
PCHR Is Increasingly Concerned at the further Deterioration in Palestinian Internal Security
PCHR is increasingly concerned for the increase in killings caused by the misuse of weapons, especially by law enforcement officials or other persons who have links with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). PCHR reiterates its call for the PNA and its law enforcement bodies to put an end to the security chaos, which has peaked to unprecedented levels. PCHR particularly refers to two murders in Gaza City in the past few days, which left two Palestinians dead.
The first murder was committed at approximately 12:45 on Thursday, 23 December 2004, when a member of the Palestinian Presidential Guard (Force 17) shot dead Major Hassan Radwan Ghazal, 40, from Gaza City, a member of the same security service. According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, the murder occurred when the victim was standing in front of Rashad Shawa Center in Gaza City. According to medical sources at Shifa Hospital, the victim was brought to the hospital in a critical condition, as he was hit by 8 live bullets throughout the body.
The second murder was committed at approximately 22:30 on Friday, 24 December 2004, when armed men, who are members of Palestinian security services, attacked a house belonging to the al-Ashram family near the currency exchange market in Gaza City. They opened fire indiscriminately in the air. As a result, Ashraf Sharif Zahra, 30, was killed by a live bullet in the face, when he was in the balcony of his house in the area.
PCHR strongly condemns these latest murders, and is alarmed by the notable increase of such crimes recently, thus further indicating deterioration in the Palestinian internal security as a result of the militarization of the society, the misuse and unprecedented proliferation of weapons in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
In light of this, PCHR calls upon the PNA, represented by the Attorney General, to investigate such crimes and bring their perpetrators to justice to ensure the rule of law. PCHR also reiterates its call to end the state of security chaos, especially by members of the security services, and to merge all security services and their members under a central administration supervised by the PNA.
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Public Document
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For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8 2824776 – 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip. E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
