- Update info:
- 19 Dec 2017 (Suspended)
- Latest info:
- 20 Jun 2017 (Updated)
- 20 Dec 2016 (Updated)
- 5 Jul 2016
- Country:
- ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES/PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
- Subject:
- Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi
Gender m/f: m
- Period:
- 19 Jan 2018
- Distribution date:
- 5 Jul 2016
- UA No:
- 154/2016
Israeli authorities arrested Palestinian human rights defender Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi on 1 May. He was due to be released on bail on 10 June but he has been placed under a six-month administrative detention, despite his parents paying the bail to the court. The detention order was confirmed on 28 June.
Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi, 24, is a Palestinian resident of occupied East Jerusalem, and the media coordinator for prisoners’ rights group Addameer. He was arrested by the Israeli authorities at the al Karameh border crossing between Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) on 1 May. He was transferred to the al Moscobiyyah Police Detention Centre in Jerusalem and interrogated for 40 days both there and at Ktziot prison in the Negev, southern Israel. Safadi told his lawyer that he had been subjected to sleep deprivation and tied in stress positions during his interrogation, treatment that violates the prohibition, under international law, of torture and other ill-treatment. He was also denied access to his lawyer for 10 days, from 12 to 22 May.
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court charged Safadi with visiting an “enemy” country at a hearing on June 10 and ordered Safadi to be released on bail of 2,500NIS (US$ 650). He was due to be released the same day after his parents had paid the bail to the court. As his parents waited for him, however, they were informed that he had been placed under a six-month administrative detention order signed by the defence minister Avigdor Lieberman. The detention order was confirmed at a hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court on 28 June. Safadi is being held in Ktziot prison.
The Israeli authorities have long used administrative detention as an alternative to bringing Palestinians to trial, and this case appears to be a prime example. Israel is routinely violating Palestinians’ rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association in the OPT and is targeting human rights defenders, including by arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and other ill-treatment in custody and arbitrary restrictions on movement.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Hasan Safadi started working as media coordinator for the prisoners’ rights NGO Addameer in 2013. Before he had worked as a journalist. Hasan Safadi’s mother told Addameer that the night before he was due to be released on 10 June, “I could not sleep from joy and excitement and could not wait to see my son sitting among us at home again. The next morning, on the day of his expected release, I went with Hasan’s father to the court carrying the amount of money required for his release. Hasan’s father paid the money and signed a pledge to abide by the conditions given by the court. Then, we began to wait. We waited at the door of the courts for long hours, and later, we got the news that Hasan has been placed under administrative detention. I did not know how I received the shocking news. I started crying loudly for the first time since Hasan’s arrest.”
Administrative detention – ostensibly introduced as an exceptional measure to detain people who pose an extreme and imminent danger to security – is used by Israel as an alternative to the criminal justice system to arrest, charge and prosecute people suspected of criminal offences, or to detain people who should not have been arrested at all. Orders can be renewed indefinitely and evidence is kept secret, meaning that detainees are not able to challenge their detention and do not know when they will be released. Amnesty International believes that some Palestinians held in administrative detention by Israel are prisoners of conscience, held solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and association. Since October 2015, violence in Israel and the OPT has increased dramatically. As during other periods of heightened tension in the OPT, the Israeli authorities responded by carrying out mass arrests, and issuing more and more administrative detention orders, including a resumption of its use against children. According to the Israeli human rights organisation B’tselem there were 692 Palestinians being held under administrative detention orders by Israel at the end of April 2016. This compares to 400 at the end of April 2015.
All but one of the Israeli prisons holding Palestinian administrative detainees is located inside Israel. The detention of Palestinians from the OPT inside Israel violates international law. The Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates that detainees from occupied territories must be held in the occupied territory, not in the territory of the occupying power.
Amnesty International has documented an escalation of acts of intimidation by the Israeli government against human rights defenders (HRDs) in the OPT. Israel has also taken steps to curtail freedom of expression inside Israel with officials using intimidation to target HRDs. Recent legislative initiatives that are apparently aimed at constricting freedom of expression have gone hand in hand with an ever-darkening public mood against those who criticise the Israeli government.
UA: 154/16 Index: MDE 15/4376/2016 Issue Date: 4 July 2016
- Update info:
- 19 Dec 2017 (Suspended)
- Latest info:
- 20 Jun 2017 (Updated)
- 20 Dec 2016 (Updated)
- 5 Jul 2016
- Country:
- ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES/PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
- Subject:
- Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi
Gender m/f: m
- Period:
- 19 Jan 2018
- Distribution date:
- 20 Dec 2016
- UA No:
- 154/2016
On 7 December the Israeli authorities renewed the administrative detention of Palestinian human rights defender Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi for an additional six months. He has already been held without charge or trial for more than six months.
Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi, aged 25, is a Palestinian resident of occupied East Jerusalem, and the Media Coordinator for prisoners’ rights group Addameer. He was originally arrested by the Israeli authorities on 1 May 2016 from the al Karameh border crossing between Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), after returning from a conference in Lebanon on justice and accountability issues and prisoners’ rights. After his arrest he was interrogated for 40 days; he told his lawyer that he had been subjected to sleep deprivation and tied in stress positions during his interrogation. He was also denied access to his lawyer for 10 days.
He was charged on 10 June with visiting an “enemy” country (Lebanon) at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court. On the same day the court ordered Hasan Safadi’s release after his parents paid bail of 2,500NIS (US$ 650). As his parents waited for him, however, they were informed that he had been placed under a six-month administrative detention order signed by the defence minister Avigdor Lieberman.
On 27 October, whilst being detained under that order, Hasan Safadi pled guilty to the charge of visiting an “enemy” country, and was sentenced to three months and one day in prison. The sentence ran concurrently with his administrative detention order. Given the fact that he had already spent 40 days under interrogation immediately following his arrest in May 2016 and the Israeli Prison Service practice of granting early release, under usual circumstances Hasan Safadi would have been released in the first week of December, which is when his administrative detention was also due to end. However, on 7 December the defence minister issued another six-month administrative detention order against Hasan Safadi. A court hearing to confirm the order was postponed until 23 December at the request of his legal team, in order to allow time to prepare. As with all cases of administrative detention, the “evidence” against Hasan Safadi is secret, and neither he nor his lawyer is allowed to review it. This violates a central tenet of fair trial standards. Moreover, although six months is the maximum period of detention for each order, there is no limit on how many times each order can be renewed. Hassan Safadi is being held in Ketziot prison in the Negev, southern Israel.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Following his arrest by the Israeli authorities at the al Karameh border crossing between Jordan and the OPT on 1 May, Hasan Safadi was transferred to the Moscobiyyah Police Detention Centre in Jerusalem. He was interrogated for 40 days at the Moscobiyyah Police Detention Centre and at Ketziot prison in the Negev, southern Israel. Hasan Safadi told his lawyer that he had been subjected to sleep deprivation and tied in stress positions during his interrogation. This treatment violates the prohibition, under international law, of torture and other ill-treatment. He was also denied access to his lawyer for 10 days, from 12 to 22 May. He is still held in Ketziot prison.
Administrative detention – ostensibly introduced as an exceptional measure to detain people who pose an extreme and imminent danger to security – is used by Israel as an alternative to the criminal justice system to arrest, charge and prosecute people suspected of criminal offences, or to detain people who should not have been arrested at all. Orders can be renewed indefinitely and evidence is kept secret, meaning that detainees are not able to challenge their detention and do not know when they will be released. Amnesty International believes that some Palestinians held in administrative detention by Israel are prisoners of conscience, held solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and association. Since October 2015, violence in Israel and the OPT has increased dramatically. As during other periods of heightened tension in the OPT, the Israeli authorities responded by carrying out mass arrests, and issuing more and more administrative detention orders, including a resumption of its use against children. According to the Israeli human rights organisation B’tselem there were 692 Palestinians being held under administrative detention orders by Israel at the end of April 2016, the last date for which reliable data is available. This compares to 400 at the end of April 2015.
All but one of the Israeli prisons holding Palestinian administrative detainees is located inside Israel. The detention of Palestinians from the OPT inside Israel violates international law. The Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates that detainees from occupied territories must be held in the occupied territory, not in the territory of the occupying power.
Amnesty International has documented an escalation of acts of intimidation by the Israeli government against human rights defenders in the OPT. Israel has also taken steps to curtail freedom of expression inside Israel with officials using intimidation to target human rights defenders. Recent legislative initiatives that are apparently aimed at constricting freedom of expression have gone hand in hand with an ever-darkening public mood against those who criticise the Israeli government.
Further information on UA: 154/16 Index: MDE 15/5385/2016 Issue Date: 19 December 2016
- Update info:
- 19 Dec 2017 (Suspended)
- Latest info:
- 20 Jun 2017 (Updated)
- 20 Dec 2016 (Updated)
- 5 Jul 2016
- Country:
- ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES/PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
- Subject:
- Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi
Gender m/f: m
- Period:
- 19 Jan 2018
- Distribution date:
- 20 Jun 2017
- UA No:
- 154/2016
The Israeli district court in Jerusalem renewed Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi's administrative detention for six months on 11 June. The Palestinian human rights defender has been detained since 1 May 2016.
The Israeli district court in Jerusalem renewed Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi’s administrative detention for six months on 11 June. Addameer Association’s attorney Mahmoud Hassan said the court decision states that this is the last time the order will be renewed unless there is new and important evidence against him. Hasan Safadi, a 25-year-old resident of occupied East Jerusalem, is the Media Coordinator for the prisoners’ rights group Addameer. He continues to be held in Ketziot prison, in southern Israel.
Hasan Safadi was originally arrested on 1 May 2016 by the Israeli authorities at al-Karameh border crossing between Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). This followed his return from a conference on justice and accountability in Lebanon. After his arrest, Hasan Safadi was interrogated for 40 days. He was denied access to his lawyer for the first 10 days. During a visit, he told his lawyer that he had been subjected to sleep deprivation and tied in stress positions during his interrogation.
On 10 June 2016, the Jerusalem Magistrates Court charged Hasan Safadi with visiting an “enemy” country, in this case Lebanon. On the same day, the court ordered Hasan Safadi’s release after his parents paid bail of 2,500NIS (US$ 650). However, as his parents waited for him, they were informed that he had been placed under a six-month administrative detention order signed by the defence minister Avigdor Lieberman.
On 27 October 2016, whilst being detained under that order, Hasan Safadi pled guilty to the charge of visiting an “enemy” country. He was sentenced the same day to three months and one day in prison. The sentence ran concurrently with his administrative detention order. Under usual circumstances Hasan Safadi would have been released in the first week of December 2016, however, on 7 December 2016 the defence minister issued another six-month administrative detention order against Hasan Safadi. He has been detained without charge since then.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
On 1 May 2016, following his arrest by the Israeli authorities at the al-Karameh border crossing, Hasan Safadi was transferred to the Moscobiyyah police detention centre in Jerusalem. He was interrogated for 40 days there and at Ketziot prison. He told his lawyer that he was subjected to sleep deprivation and tied in stress positions during his interrogation sessions. This treatment violates the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment. He was also denied access to his lawyer from 12 to 22 May. As with all cases of administrative detention, the “evidence” against Hasan Safadi is secret, and neither he nor his lawyer is allowed to review it. This violates a central tenet of fair trial standards. Moreover, although six months is the maximum period of detention for each order, there is no limit on how many times each order can be renewed.
Administrative detention – ostensibly introduced as an exceptional measure to detain people who pose an extreme and imminent danger to security – is used by Israel as an alternative to arresting, charging and prosecuting people suspected of criminal offences, or to detain people who should not have been arrested at all. Orders can be renewed indefinitely and evidence is kept secret, meaning that detainees are not able to effectively challenge their detention and do not know when they will be released. Amnesty International believes that some Palestinians held in administrative detention by Israel are prisoners of conscience, held solely for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of expression and association. Since October 2015, violence in Israel and the OPT has increased dramatically. As during other periods of heightened tension in the OPT, the Israeli authorities responded by carrying out mass arrests, and issuing more and more administrative detention orders, including a resumption of its use against children. According to the Israeli human rights organisation Hamoked as of the beginning of June 2017, there were 477 administrative detainees held without charge or trial by Israel.
All but one of the Israeli prisons holding Palestinian administrative detainees is located inside Israel. The detention of Palestinians from the OPT inside Israel violates international law. The Fourth Geneva Convention stipulates that detainees from occupied territories must be held in the occupied territory, not in the territory of the occupying power.
Amnesty International has documented an escalation of acts of intimidation by the Israeli government against human rights defenders (HRDs) in the OPT. Israel has also taken steps to curtail freedom of expression inside Israel with officials using intimidation to target HRDs. Recent legislative initiatives that are apparently aimed at constricting freedom of expression have gone hand in hand with an ever-darkening public mood against those who criticise the Israeli government.
Further information on UA: 154/16 Index: MDE 15/6487/2017 Issue Date: 14 June 2017
- Update info:
- 19 Dec 2017 (Suspended)
- Latest info:
- 20 Jun 2017 (Updated)
- 20 Dec 2016 (Updated)
- 5 Jul 2016
- Country:
- ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES/PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
- Subject:
- Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi
Gender m/f: m
- Period:
- 19 Jan 2018
- Distribution date:
- 19 Dec 2017
- UA No:
- 154/2016
Palestinian human rights defender and media coordinator for prisoners’ rights group Addameer, Hasan Safadi, was released on 7 December from Ketziot Prison in Israel. He spent nearly a year and a half in administrative detention without charge or trial. He has now returned home to his family in Beit Hanina, in occupied East Jerusalem.
On 7 December, Palestinian human rights defender and NGO worker Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi was released from Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, after spending 586 days in administrative detention without charge or trial. According to Palestinian prisoners’ rights NGO Addameer, whose lawyer represented Hasan Safadi, his release came after an Israeli judge ruled that his administrative detention order will not be renewed again. He is back home with his family in Beit Hanina, in occupied East Jerusalem.
Hasan Ghassan Ghaleb Safadi, aged 26, was originally arrested by the Israeli authorities on 1 May 2016 at the al-Karameh border crossing between Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The arrest followed his return from a conference in Lebanon on justice, accountability issues, and prisoners’ rights. He was interrogated for 40 days and told his lawyer, that he had been subjected to sleep deprivation and tied in stress positions during this time. He was also denied access to his lawyer for the first 10 days following his arrest.
On 10 June 2016, Hasan was charged with visiting an “enemy” country (Lebanon) at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court. On the same day the court ordered his release after his parents paid the bail of 2,500NIS (US$ 650). However, while his parents were waiting for his release, they were informed that he had been placed under a six-month administrative detention order signed by the defence minister, Avigdor Lieberman.
Hasan Safadi was held inside Israel in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which provides that detainees from a population of an occupied territory must be detained within that territory.
Hasan Safadi spoke to Amnesty International on 7 December and delivered the following message of thanks to all those who took action on his behalf: “I thank you all so much for your support and for believing in the work of Palestinian human rights defenders who are continuously targeted and silenced for their work in exposing human rights violations… our strength is in our solidarity and in standing up for each other’s rights.”
He added that he looks forward to returning to his work as media coordinator for prisoners’ rights group Addameer, and to continue to fight for the rights of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
“The occupation tried to silence me and to break my will by placing me under administrative detention, but I will never be broken and I will continue my work until the occupation ends,” he told Amnesty.
Thank you to all those who sent appeals. No further action is requested from the UA network.
This is the third update of UA 154/16. Further information: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/4376/2016/en/