Imad Abu Shamsiyya arrested and harassed
On 27 September 2017, human rights defender Imad Abu Shamsiyya was arbitrarily detained at the Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint in Hebron for half an hour without reason or legal charge.
Imad Abu Shamsiyya is a co-founder of the Human Rights Defenders Palestine, and works specifically on documentation and video recording of human rights violations committed against Palestinians. He is a long-standing activist in Palestine and was formerly a volunteer at B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, where he is involved in documenting the occupation of Tel-Rumeida.
On 27 September 2017, human rights defender Imad Abu Shamsiyya was arbitrarily detained at the Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint in Hebron for half an hour without reason or legal charge.
Imad Abu Shamsiyya is a co-founder of the Human Rights Defenders Palestine, and works specifically on documentation and video recording of human rights violations committed against Palestinians. He is a long-standing activist in Palestine and was formerly a volunteer at B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, where he is involved in documenting the occupation of Tel-Rumeida.
On 27 September 2017, Israeli soldiers arbitrarily detained human rights defender Imad Abu Shamsiyya at the Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint for half an hour. His personal items were taken by Israeli soldiers and he was held for half an hour without any stated reason. His belongings were returned but his Human Rights Defenders identification card issued by Front Line Defenders had been broken in half.
The human rights defender has been subjected to continued harassment by Israeli forces. On 4 August 2017, Imad Abu Shamsiyya was arrested and detained by Israeli forces after participating in and documenting a peaceful “pray in” demonstration in Khursa village in Hebron earlier that day. Military forces arrested him after conducting a raid on his home. He was taken for interrogation at Gilbert checkpoint, held overnight and released on 5 August 2017 without charge. Previously the human rights defender has received threats and harassment over his role in documenting crimes committed by Israeli occupying forces.
Front Line Defenders condemns the harassment of human rights defender Imad Abu Shamsiyya, as it believes these actions to be directly connected with his peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights.
On 9 August 2017, leading member of Human Rights Defenders Palestine, Badie Dweik was summoned for interrogation at Etzion on 14 August 2017 at 9.00 AM. On 4 August 2017, another co-founder of the Human Rights Defenders Group, Imad Abu Shamsiyya was arrested and detained overnight by Israeli forces after participating in a peaceful demonstration.
Badie Dweik is a co-founder of the Human Rights Defenders Palestine (تجمع المدافعين عن حقوق الانسان) group who organises campaigns and provides training for the protection of human rights defenders in Hebron. Human Rights Defenders Palestine is a Palestinian grassroots group which documents human rights violations associated with the Israeli occupation and its practices in the occupied West Bank, including Hebron. Badie Dweik also collaborates with the Hebron team of human rights observers brought by the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. Imad Abu Shamsiyya is a co-founder of the Human Rights Defenders Palestine, and works specifically on documentation and video recording of human rights violations committed against Palestinians. He is a long-standing activist in Palestine and was formerly a volunteer at B'Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, where he is involved in documenting the occupation of Tel-Rumeida.
On 9 August 2017, Badie Dweik received a phone call from an Israeli intelligence officer summoning him for interrogation at Etzion detention centre on Monday 14 August 2017 at 9.00 AM. The facility is located in the illegal Gush Etzion settlement in the occupied West Bank. Human rights groups have reported instances of severe torture and ill treatment at the detention centre. The summons comes several days after a raid on the human rights defender’s home on 4 August 2017. During the raid, Badie Dweik was beaten, interrogated and threatened with arrest if he participated in the peaceful demonstration due to take place that same day in Khursa, Dura. The military commander also threatened the human rights defender with further raids on his home if he continued his work with the Human Rights Defenders Palestine group.
On 4 August 2017, Imad Abu Shamsiyya was arrested and detained by Israeli forces after participating in and documenting a peaceful ‘pray in’ demonstration in Khursa village in Hebron earlier that day. Military forces arrested him after conducting a raid on his home. He was taken for interrogation at Gilbert checkpoint, held overnight and released on 5 August 2017 without charge.
Front Line Defenders condemns the harassment of members of the Human Rights Defenders Palestine group, as it believes these actions to be directly connected with their peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights.
