Update on 12 May 2015 Khalida Jarrar hearing

Update on Khalida Jarrar hearing

12 May 2015 – Ofer military court judge decided today to announce a decision on Monday, 18 May, as to whether or not Palestinian Legislative Council member Khalida Jarrar will be detained until the end of trial proceedings, after reviewing the secret and open evidence. Attorney Mahmoud Hassan stated that the evidence the prosecution has put forth is based on old events, some of which are dated four years old, and that they do not suggest that the defendant was involved directly in any activities that suggest she is a security risk. The attorney therefore refuted the bulk of the evidence and highlighted the delay of the prosecution in taking legal action regarding this old evidence, which suggests the prosecution is not genuinely convinced of that the Palestinian Legislative Council member Khalida Jarrar poses a security threat. The activities that she is accused of, the defense argued, are typical of political and civil society activists.

After hearing the arguments by the defense, the military order decided to delay a decision regarding bail, until 18 Monday, 2015, until which Mrs. Jarrar will be detained.

Mrs. Jarrar was taken to Ofer court on 10/05/2015, the date of a previously scheduled and subsequently cancelled administrative court hearing, despite the fact that the administrative detention order has since been limited and is no longer applicable. Such excessive transfer of detainees is often used to pressure them to take part in a plea bargain, as they suffer from the physically and mentally exhausting nature of the transfer process.