Hamas: Torture of Hamas cadres in WB will not go unpunished

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[ 09/02/2009 - 08:43 PM ]




KHAN YOUNIS, (PIC)-- The Hamas Movement stated Monday that all those involved in the killing and torture of Hamas cadres and supporters in the West Bank would not escape punishment and would pay dearly sooner or later.

Hamas spokesman in Khan Younis Hammad Al-Raqb warned, in a statement received by the PIC, the PA security apparatuses in the West Bank of the consequences of their crimes against Palestinian dignitaries, resistance fighters and citizens, adding that they would be held accountable for all their repressive actions against those innocent people.

A prominent Hamas figure Mohamed Al-Haj had been declared dead Sunday evening after being subjected to excruciating torture in the preventive security jail in Jenin.

Raqb called on the West Bank people to revolt against the criminals and confront the plots intended for the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.

For his part, MP Mushir Al-Masri, the secretary-general of the Hamas parliamentary bloc, said in a press statement published today that the efforts to initiate inter-Palestinian dialog are useless in light of the ongoing political arrests in the West Bank
Regarding the Egyptian invitation of Palestinian factions to participate in dialog sessions later this month, MP Masri said that it was agreed with the Egyptian side on the formation of a committee to resolve the issue of political arrests in the West Bank before going to Cairo and sitting at the dialog table.

In a statement, the Hamas Movement in the West Bank held Ibrahim Ramadan, the director of the preventive security apparatus, directly responsible for the killing of Haj in his jails, accusing him of supervising the torture of the slain victim.

The statement refuted the PA allegations that the slain victim committed suicide in his cell, saying that everyone knows especially those ex-detainees in PA jails that these security apparatuses do not lock up the prisoners in cells before 10 to 20 days of ongoing torture in special corridors.

The statement emphasized that Hamas would not go for dialog before the release of all political prisoners in PA jails

The statement underlined that the declarations made by ex-PA chief Mahmoud Abbas or his allied institutions about the formation of committees to probe such violations are no longer useful after what has been committed by Abbas's security apparatuses against innocent people.

The statement added that Hamas rejects such investigation committees if they do not unveil the names of those involved in these crimes as a prelude to bringing them to public trials.

Hamas cadre dies under torture at hand of Abbas's militias in Jenin

[ 09/02/2009 - 09:48 AM ]



RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Mohammed Al-Haj, a Hamas's activist, died Sunday after Abbas's militias in the infamous Junaid prison tortured him to death, three days after he was arrested Thursday, local sources confirmed to the PIC.

According to the sources, Al-Haj, 30, was put under interrogation and severely tortured at the hands of elements of the ill-fated preventive security in the city, adding that the martyr is the brother of Hamas's spokesman in Jenin, who is now jailed in the Israeli Negev prison.

Killers of Al-Haj and their cohorts tried to deceive the Palestinian public by alleging that Al-Haj hanged himself, but inhabitants of Jenin didn’t buy those fabrications as anger spread all over the city over the heinous crime.

The family of Al-Haj confirmed that their son was arrested at the hands of the PA security elements last Thursday, and since then they knew nothing about him till they were told about his death.

Armed militias of Fatah faction and the unconstitutional PA government in Ramallah intensified arrest campaigns against Hamas cadres since the Hamas-led Palestinian resistance emerged victorious in the historic Gaza battle.

Human rights and legal organizations in the West Bank confirmed that the PA security apparatuses made 22000 political arrests since Hamas ousted elements of sabotage led by Fatah man Mohammed Dahalan in Gaza Strip in 2007.

At least 700 of those arrestees, most of them from Hamas Movement, were retained in Abbas's jails across the West Bank, many of them in solitary confinement and denied family visits.

On February 22, 2008, the PA security elements killed a Hamas prominent leader in Kobar village, north of Ramallah, Sheikh Majd Al-Barghouthi under torture. They attempted to cover up the crime by saying he died of heart attack, but medical examination and signs of torture on his body refuted the PA allegation.

Hamas angry:
For her part, Hamas Movement condemned the murder of Al-Haj, stressing that no talks with Abbas's Fatah would take place till PA jails are cleared of political prisoners, and the frenzied campaign against the Movement in the West Bank is halted once and for all.

"In light of the increasing barbaric campaigns against cadres of Hamas Movement in the West Bank at the hands of the PA security apparatuses, and in light of the suffering of hundreds of Hamas members in Abbas's jails, we in Hamas announce that we will not go to any dialogue unless Abbas's jails are cleared of all political prisoners", underlined Ra'fat Nasif, a Hamas senior political leader in the West Bank .

Nasif's statement came few hours after the news on Al-Haj spread.

MP Mansour calls for independent committee to probe Haj's death

[ 10/02/2009 - 08:41 PM ]

NABLUS, (PIC)-- MP Mona Mansour has called for the formation of an independent investigation committee including representatives of legal and human rights institutions, factions and relatives of Mohammed Al-Haj to determine the exact cause of his death in PA custody.

She said that all those involved in the "crime" should be prosecuted in the light of the findings of the proposed committee so as to avoid recurrence of this incident.

Mansour, a Hamas MP in Nablus, said in a press release on Tuesday that the PA preventive security apparatus's claim that Haj committed suicide in his cell was a premature investigation result and was unfair to the man, a Hamas activist, and his family.

The lawmaker asked for the release of all political detainees in the jails of former PA chief Mahmoud Abbas's security apparatuses to furnish the atmosphere before initiation of national dialog and real conciliation.

The painful incident returned to memory the death of Sheikh Majd Al-Barghouthi in the PA jails in similar circumstances almost a year ago, she said, adding that the recurrence of the incident proved that the security apparatuses were continuing in their physical and psychological violations of the detainees.

The Israeli war on Gaza last month and the emergence of far right in the Israeli elections called on all Palestinians to unite against the attempts to liquidate the Palestine cause.

Meanwhile, PA intelligence elements last night kidnapped six Hamas supporters in Assira Al-Qabalia village, south of Nablus city.

Local sources said that the intelligence elements barged into the village after midnight Monday and kidnapped the six from their homes.

The village is the under the security control of the Israeli occupation forces and the intelligence could never enter there without the IOF approval.

Acting speaker holds Abbas fully responsible for torturing Hamas member to death