PA detained 55 Palestinians in West Bank on political grounds

The Palestinian Authority (PA) detained 55 Palestinians across occupied West Bank in January on political grounds, Lawyers for Justice reported yesterday.

In a statement reported by the Safa news agency, Lawyers for Justice stated that the PA detained 31 Palestinians from the cities of Nablus, Ramallah and Jenin. The others were from the remaining areas of the occupied Palestinian territory.

Lawyers for Justice stated that most of the detainees had previously been detained and released by the Israeli occupation.

The group also found that there were five students from Al Najah University and two others were detained in relation to the local elections held in December 2021.

According to the organisation, the PA allegedly detained nine for possession of arms, seven for receiving money transfers, three for their affiliation to armed groups and one for insulting the PA.

Lawyers for Justice said that these claims were pretexts in order to extend their detention and the time available for investigations.

The group also said that 11 other Palestinians were detained in the same month without legal warrants and spent one day each in prison before they were released.

The rights group reiterated that the PA continues to arrest Palestinians for their political affiliation or freedom of expression and opinion.

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