Ref: 57/2015
Date: 15 September 2015
Time: 11:17 GMT
In the past two days, the Palestinian police used force to disperse peaceful protests against the power outage crisis throughout the Gaza Strip. The police officers beat a number of participants, arrested others and prevented journalists from covering those protests. Moreover, members of the Izziddinal-Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas) attacked a child participating in one of the protests in Rafah and detained the child along with another civilian in a site ofthe Brigade. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the Palestinian police’s dispersal of peaceful protests against the power outages, the detention of a number of protestors and denial of media coverage. PCHR also stresses that the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed under the Palestinian Basic Law and relevant international standards.
According to investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 23:00 on 12 September 2015, Palestinian security officers prevented hundreds of outraged civilians due to the aggravation of the power crisis from reaching the office of the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company near al-Shuhada Square (previously known as al-Nijmah Square) in Rafah. Furthermore, officers of the Internal Security Service officers prevented a group of journalists from covering the protest. They also chased the journalists and confiscated some of their equipment. Mahmoud Marwan al-Masri (25), a reporter of al-Hayat press agency, said that security officers seized his Mitsubishi car, camera (Canon) and mobile when he was filming the protest. The camera was returned to him after the data on its memory was deleted. In addition, he took his car back after some journalists intervened. EmadKamel Yousef (20), a sports reporter at Amwaj radio, said that security officers confiscated his video camera memory when he was filming the protest.
On the following day, several protests were organized throughout the Gaza Strip; in Rafah, al-Maghazi refugee camp, al-Nusairat refugee camp and Beit Lahia, in protest at the aggravation of the power outage crisis. However, the Palestinian police and security services dispersed these protests too.
According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 22:00 on Sunday, 13 September, dozens of youngsters in Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, participated in a protest against the prolonged hours of power outage. A car belonging to the Izziddinal-Qassam Brigades was passing by the protest organized in al-Nozhah (al-Nus) Street, so the protestors threw stones and empty bottles at them. A member of the Izziddinal-Qassam Brigades then fired bullets from his pistol in the air, and four others chased persons who were present in the street. The members beat up Hassan Salah Abu Shawareb (17), and when his neighbor, Majd Bassam Abu Shammalah (21), attempted to prevent them, both of them were detained in al-Qassam Brigades’ car. They were then taken to a training site belonging to al-Qassam Brigades in Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, but were released after short time when Mohammed Abu Shawareb, Hasan’s brother, intervened. Later, the Palestinian police arrived and the protestors dispersed. M.G.Y (26) said that he was present there and was beaten up by a police officer with his gun butt. He added that his two brothers, A. (25) and Y. (20),were beaten as well when they tried to prevent the police from arrestubf him. Therefore, the three brothers were detained and taken to Tal al-Sultan police station. They were also beaten with batons inside the police station, but were released in the early morning after some people intervened.
In this context, CHR emphasizes that:
Accordingly, PCHR:
1- Calls upon the Attorney General to investigate these attacks and bring the perpetrators before justice;
2- Calls upon the competent authorities in Gaza to take necessary measures to stop such violations of human rights and to respect public and press freedoms that are ensured under the Palestinian Basic Law and international human rights standards.
3- Calls upon security services to respect human rights that are ensured under the national laws and relevant international standards.
