Mr Hasan Karajah

On 23 January 2013, human rights defender and youth activist Mr Hasan Karajah was arrested at his family home in the village of Saffa, near Ramallah, by Israeli forces.

Mr Hasan Karajah is a prominent human rights defender who works on youth campaigns with Stop the Wall Movement, an organisation which peacefully advocates against the presence and expansion of the Wall, as well as defending prisoners' rights. He is currently being held in Moskobiyyeh Interrogation Centre in Jerusalem

At 2.30 am on the morning of 23 January 2013, approximately 20 soldiers from the Israeli forces raided Hasan Karajah's family home in Saffa. During the raid, the male and female members of the family were locked in separate rooms by the soldiers, while they searched the house for three hours.

A search warrant was not presented to the family. During the search, 3 computers and several personal documents and photos were confiscated. The soldiers also attempted to search the human right defender's sister, Ms Sumood Karajah. When she refused, the soldiers reportedly insulted and threatened her. The male members of the family were subsequently interrogated and ordered to present their ID cards and contact phone numbers.

Hasan Karajah was then taken outside the family home and interrogated. He was subsequently blindfolded and handcuffed and transferred to Moskobiyyeh Interrogation Centre, without any formal charges presented or an explanation provided to his family.  Access to his lawyer has not been provided to the human rights defender, while soldiers did not allow necessary medication belonging to Hasan Karajah to be taken with him at the time of his arrest. The human rights defender suffers from inflammation and a contorted back.

Prior to his work at Stop the Wall Movement, Hasan Karajah was part of a youth development project in conjunction with the Tamer Institute for Community Education and the Bisan Center for Research and Development. He has also represented Palestinian youth abroad as part of his role at the Arab Thought Foundation on several occasions.

Front Line Defenders is concerned at the arbitrary arrest of Hasan Karajah and at due process irregularities, including refusal of access to a lawyer. Front Line Defenders is also concerned for the human rights defender's physical health given his medical condition.