Extrajudicial measures under the spotlight in Palestine
The arrest of lawyer Mohammad Hussein inside a courthouse in Nablus prompted lawyers, judges and staff at the general prosecutor's office to protest against unlawful measures.
A special security committee, set up in 2015 by then-Interior Minister Rami Hamdallah, and a prison in Jericho that allegedly operates outside the judiciary's supervision have come under scrutiny in recent weeks.
Jawad Obeidat, chairman of the Palestinian Bar Association (PBA), referenced the committee and the prison during a Nov. 9 demonstration by lawyers, judges and staff of the attorney general’s office in Ramallah. The demonstration was called to protest the arrest of Mohammad Hussein, a lawyer from the village of Deir al-Hatab, in a Nablus court the preceding day. Addressing his fellow jurists, Obeidat called on President Mahmoud Abbas to dismiss Hamdallah from his current post of prime minister for acting outside the law.
For the lawyers, judges and staff of the attorney general’s office, Hussein's arrest was an extrajudicial act that violates the sanctity of the courts. The PBA therefore called for the demonstration the next day and suspended all cooperation with the Palestinian government until their colleague is released.
On Nov. 8 in the Magistrate Court in Nablus, security officers in civilian clothing violently arrested Hussein and took him to the controversial Jericho prison. He was released Nov. 10, on orders from Hamdallah, who also appointed a committee to investigate the incident.
