Addameer – Ramallah, occupied Palestine

The Israeli Military Court rejected Addameer’s petition to the Israeli High Court to lift the lawyer’s ban on artist and organizer Hafez Omar, who has been held incommunicado since his arrest on 13 March 2019 and has extended his detention and interrogation for an additional five days. His lawyer’s ban has been extended to 1 April 2019 and his interrogation and detention has been extended to 4 April.

Hafez Omar’s case is emblematic of the widespread and systematic deprivation of detainees rights under Israeli military law. Hafez and his lawyers have yet to be informed for the reasons for his arrest, and Addameer’s repeated legal appeals to meet with their client have been rejected.

According to Israeli military law, detained Palestinians can be banned from meeting their lawyer for a total of 60 days. This is also a part of the 75 days being held without having any charges.

This is in direct violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, ratified by Israel in 1966, which provides/demands the right to a fair  and regular trial (Article 5), as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by Israel in 1991, which demands that detainees are entitled to legal aid at all stages of proceedings. (Principle 3; 20).

Addameer strongly condemns the ongoing detention of Hafez Omar and calls upon signatories of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the ICCPR to demand that the Occupying Power end its illegal detention of Hafez Omar and all Palestinian political detainees.

Hafez Omar is an artist and organizer based in Ramallah. More information on his case can be found here.