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Israeli Civil Society to Attorney General: Investigate Police Violence Toward Arab Protestors in Haifa

New Israel Fund Executive Director: "The Right To Protest And Equality Under the Law Are Critical In Democratic Societies"

23 May 2018

This week, top Israeli civil society groups, including the New Israel Fund and many of its grantees, sent an urgent letter Israeli attorney general Avichai Mandelblit to demand an immediate investigation into the arrest of Jafar Farah. Farah was arrested by Israeli police on Friday his knee was broken while in police custody, requiring hospitalization.

The full text of the letter and list of signatories is below.

Responding to the police violence against Farah and other Arab protestors, Mickey Gitzin, executive director of the NIF in Israel, said:

“On Friday, there was a protest of Arab citizens of Israel in Haifa. This was a demonstration of citizens opposing the events in Gaza. There were also demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Yad Mordechai and other places where Jews protested the events in Gaza, only in Haifa police used violence against protesters and arrested people.

“I don’t know what was different in Haifa, but I do know that the right to protest is one of the basic criteria in a democracy. Among the arrestees was Jafar Farah, the Executive Director of the The Mossawa Center, someone famous for his years working on advancement of the Arab sector in Israel.
“Social media (in Israel) blew up with photos of Jafar being arrested. He stood tall on his own two feet and spoke to the camera saying he was OK.

“Today the police announced that Jafar is in the hospital with a broken leg. I don’t know what happened between his arrest and his arrival to the hospital, but there is no doubt that it’s worrying and dangerous.

“The right to protest, the right to equality before law are critical for democratic societies. If they are thrown out with such ease, it is extremely troubling.”

Text of the letter and signatories:
May 21, 2018

To:
Dr. Avichai Mandelblit
Attorney General

Dear Sir,

Re: The grave behavior of the Israeli police surrounding the arrest of Jafar Farah, Director of the Mossawa Center for Arab Citizens in Israel

We, civil society organizations in Israel who work to strengthen Israel’s democracy, human rights, social justice, and coexistence on a daily basis, appeal to you, urgently, to thoroughly investigate the events in Haifa during which Director of the Mossawa Center, Mr. Jafar Farah, was arrested.

Last Friday, May 18, 2018, a protest was held in Haifa against the events on the border of Gaza at the beginning of last week. During the demonstration, the police arrested 21 protesters, among them Jafar Farah, Director of the Mossawa Center for Arab Citizens in Israel, and his son. In pictures of the event, Mr. Farah is seen walking on his feet to the police car, despite later reports of his hospitalization for a broken leg in Bnei Zion hospital. According to Mr. Farah’s family, when Mr. Farah requested to assist his son, who was also arrested and hurt, the police took to him violently, leading to his hospitalization and his leg being put in a cast. According to his family, police officials refused to provide Mr. Farah’s family with any information about his medical condition, prevented his family from visiting him during the long hours he was in the hospital, and insisted on returning him to police custody, despite his medical condition.

A reality where the director of a leading social change organization, working to protect human rights, is arrested during a non-violent demonstration, handcuffed and taken into police custody, after which he is hospitalized with a serious injury, should turn on a red light for any citizen who values the freedoms of expression and assembly, and who recognizes the importance of the activities of civil society organizations. The failure of the police to provide a clear explanation of the consequences of Mr. Farah’s injury raises suspicion of misconduct and violence on the side of police officials. Additionally, the claims of Mr. Farah’s family against the police regarding their treatment after his hospitalization, raises additional suspicion that the police tried to cover their improper conduct.

The arrest and injury of Mr. Farah leaves us, civil society and human rights organizations, with the strong feeling of crisis towards Israel’s law enforcement agencies. These events join a long line of claims of police brutality towards populations in Israel requesting to fulfill their right to protest against various injustices, and towards civilian activists leading these demonstrations. This is accompanied by a strong, continuous attack on human rights organizations, and the legitimacy of their public activities. This crisis constitutes a threat on the fabric of the relationship between civil society and law enforcement agencies, on the coexistence between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, and the democratic nature of Israel in general, and should not be taken lightly.

In light of the behavior of police officials in the last few days, and the ease with which they denied the right to liberty, as evidenced by the court’s criticism this morning, we call on you to personally intervene, and to order a thorough and immediate investigation into the circumstances of Mr Farah’s arrest and injury and the arrests of the other protesters, and at the same time send a clear and public message to the police and law enforcement agencies regarding the importance of the freedom of expression, the importance of civil society organizations, and of the freedom to organize protests. We expect this message to be backed up by steps to eradicate occurrences of police brutality against protesters and the implementation of clear and strict procedures in all levels of the police force.

We hope our urgent letter will fall on attentive ears.

Signatories:

  1. The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism
  2. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
  3. The Berl Katznelson Educational Center
  4. Shatil – The New Israel Fund
  5. Yedid: the Association for Community Empowerment
  6. Sikkuy: the Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality
  7. The Coalition Against Racism in Israel
  8. Israel Hofsheet: Be Free Israel
  9. Our Heritage: the Charter for Democracy
  10. The Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition
  11. The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants
  12. Na’amat – Movement of Working Women and Volunteers – Coexistence Department
  13. Kav Laoved – Worker’s Hotline
  14. The Center for a Shared Society at Givat Haviva
  15. The Abraham Fund Initiatives
  16. Tmura: the Israeli Antidiscrimination Legal Center
  17. Doctors for Human Rights
  18. Sadaka-Reut: Arab Jewish Youth Partnership
  19. Amnesty International
  20. Ossim Shalom – Social Workers for Peace and Social Welfare
  21. Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement
  22. Hamoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual
  23. Rabbis for Human Rights
  24. Assaf: Aid Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Israel
  25. The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
  26. Itach: Women Lawyers for Social Justice
  27. Achoti – sister: for Women’s rights in Israel
  28. Mahapach-Taghir
  29. I’lam: Arab Center for Media Freedom Development and Research
  30. Movement of Democratic Women in Israel
  31. Association of University Graduates from Russia and the Former Soviet Union
  32. Veahavtem – And you shall love: High School Students for Equality and Social Justice
  33. The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel
  34. Ajeec Nispeed
  35. Zazim: Community Action
  36. Israel Social TV
  37. B’tselem: the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
  38. Citizens for the Environment

Copied to:
Chief Superintendent Roni Alsheikh, Police Commissioner

For more information contact: [email protected], fax: -026256260

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