Instead of punishing the aggressors, the courts of Israeli apartheid have extended Hafez Huraini’s detention for another 3 days. Even though he is unable to use any of his arms, which were broken after illegal settlers attacked him, the military courts continue to keep Hafez in custody, deprived of the necessary care and support.
Hafez Huraini has been imprisoned since September 13th, 5 illegal Israeli settlers attacked him and his son while he was toiling in his land. When Israeli military arrived on the scene, supported the brutal gang of settlers and arrested Hafez, even though he had been gravely injured in the attack. Read more here.
The next court hearing is to be held on Wednesday, September 21st.
Please help us to mount global support to #FreeHafezHuraini! Click here to learn how. [link to the STW action page]
During today’s court hearing, the prosecution demanded a 9-day extension of Huraini’s detention, claiming that his release may ‘disrupt the investigations’. The fact that Huraini was taken to an interrogation session only once, on Tuesday 13 of September, exposes that there is no ‘investigation’ happening. He is being detained for the sole purpose of repression.
The entire process of ‘hearings’ and procedures where the military prosecution and the military judge are both on one side of Israel’s system of oppression, is a tragic farce in Israel’s apartheid playbook. Only in such a system, the victim of a brutal assault can be treated as the perpetrator.
Persecution and imprisonment of persons for the simple fact that they oppose apartheid is a core element of this crime of humanity, perpetrated by Israel in all its facets.
His lawyer further argued that Hafez must not be detained while, once again, there is no attempt to even interrogate the illegal settlers, which brutally attacked Hafez. The courts are extending complete impunity to the settlers even though it has been proven and even the court had to acknowledge that the aggression had taken place on Hafez Huraini’s own property, which the settlers had invaded. Finally, the court extended his detention for 3 days so that they could continue their ‘investigations’.
Today as a result of the pressure Palestinian and global movements are mounting on the EU, the US, and the international community to stand up against the unjust detention of Hurieni and the persecution of Palestinians, diplomats from the European Union and the United States attended the court hearing. Press was also present at the hearing.
It is crucial that we mount further pressure, bring more diplomatic presence to the courtrooms of Israel’s system of injustice, and build public pressure to #FreeHafezHuraini.
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Hafez Huraini’s arrest is part of a long-standing Israeli plan to ethnically cleanse Masafer Yatta and to colonize the area with illegal settlers. Israeli occupation continues its attacks on Palestinian activists in Masafer Yatta as a way to defeat the popular resistance which prevents the implementation of its colonial plans of the area.