Ramallah-Addameer: Addameer lawyer, Muhannad Karajeh, said that the General Intelligence Agency in Ramallah prevented him on Sunday from visiting the Islamic Jihad leader, Riyad Abu Safiya. He was detained since yesterday after being summoned for an interview. The lawyer said that he went to visit Abu Safiya for him to sign the power of attorney document, but the intelligence agents prevented him from doing so based on the pretext of the lack of a legal advisor.

Addameer condemn the prohibition of its lawyers from meeting with their clients and signing the power of attorney document. It also stresses that this prohibition flagrantly violates the guarantees of a fair trial assured by local laws and international covenants and violates the right of an attorney and the right of the client to meet with his/her lawyer. Also, Addameer affirms that this prohibition violates the provisions of the Palestinian Basic Law in Article 12 concerning the right of the detainee to contact a lawyer. Furthermore, the guarantees provided by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) regarding the right of the detainee to communicate with a lawyer, and considers it obstruct the work of lawyers; which then prevents them from exercising their duties and role in following up with the cases of their clients. As a result, this leads to stripping the detainees’ guarantees regarding the protection of his freedom and his fundamental human rights.