RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Ramallah Magistrates Court acquitted Jan. 19, 15 Palestinian activists who had been charged with “illegal gathering,” “insulting the authorities” and “continuing to gather and refusing to disperse.”

Dozens of activists were arrested and beaten by security forces during their participation in protests held in Ramallah last year to condemn the killing of political opposition figure Nizar Banat on June 24, 2021.

The acquittal decision, however, did not close the file of human rights abuses and violations of freedoms by the Palestinian Authority (PA). The same court postponed the trial of more than 18 activists to March 16 and April 4, due to the nonattendance of the public prosecution witnesses.

Omar Assaf, member of the National Democratic Rally, a West Bank-based political group that includes a number of activists, and one of the activists being tried by the PA, told Al-Monitor, “Fifteen activists were acquitted because the public prosecution did not present any evidence to prove the charges against them, which proves that they were fabricated charges. Therefore, we felt that the judge was ashamed of the ongoing trial of civilians for more than six months without evidence.”