Israeli military extended imprisonment of Palestinian journalists without evidence

Israeli military extended imprisonment of Palestinian journalists without evidence

The Israeli army admitted on Thursday that it does not have "sufficient evidence" to underpin the accusations of terrorist financing that against a prominent Palestinian journalists . This happens while an Israeli general ordered to keep it in custody for another six months.

Details on the detention arrangement

The highest general general of the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank ordered that 58-year-old journalist Ali Samoudi was kept under administrative imprisonment. This form of detention enables the military to take people without legal proceedings for up to six months in custody. The orders for administrative imprisonment can be extended unlimited.

The arrangement was issued on Wednesday after a military court hearing in the previous week, in which the public prosecutor's office sought to extend his detention.

No evidence of the allegations

In an explanation to CNN, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: "Since there was no sufficient evidence against him and considering the collected secret service material, it was requested to check whether an order for administrative detention could be issued." After checking the secret service information, the commander of the central command decided to take him in administrative imprisonment for a period of six months.

Palestinians who live in West Bank are subject to Israeli military law and are usually convicted of military courts and not in Israeli civil courts.

allegations and reactions

Samoudi, a respected Palestinian journalist who worked with CNN and other western news agencies, was arrested by Israeli forces on April 29 after a night attack on his son's house in the West Bank town.

Like the lawyer of Samoudi, Jamil al-Khatib, explained the military prosecutors to this accusation in court, but only accused Samoudi of only vague to endanger the activities of the Israeli forces in West Bank.

arrest and detention conditions

The order for administrative imprisonment mentions Samoudi's "presence as a danger to the security of the region" as a justification for his detention. According to the Palestinian Society of Prisoners (PPS), it is one of 20 journalists who have been kept in administrative imprisonment since the beginning of the war.

In a statement, the PPS said: "Samoudi's arrest and administrative imprisonment are part of the escalating campaign of the occupation, which aims to target journalists, in particular through the systematic use of administrative prison statements."

Current situation and health problems

According to his lawyer, Samoudi is currently captured in the Megiddo prison in the central Israel, where he is waiting to maintain his glasses and medication for several chronic diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes.

Samoudi is one of the most famous Palestinian journalists in West Bank and has worked with international news organizations for decades as a local producer and broker. He was also a witness to the top -class murder of the journalist Shireen Abu Akleh from Al Jazeera in 2022, where he was also shot.