Palestinian Authority PM refers Nizar Banat death report to military judiciary
Palestinian Authority PM refers Nizar Banat death report to military judiciary
Palestinian Justice Minister Muhammad Al-Shalaldeh said on state television that such a referral was advocated by the committee investigating Nizar Banat's death in custody.
2 min read
Shtayyeh revealed there was to be a committee on the same day as Banat's death [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency/Getty]
The initial report of an investigation intothe death in detention of critic has been referred to the administration'smilitary judiciary.
was given the document on Tuesday, according to the official Wafa news agency.
in the West Bank,died in custody after being taken from his home by ڴǰ.
that the 44-year-old died within an hour of being detained and that he had been hit in areas of his body, including his head and neck.
Banat's he was murdered.
Justice Minister Mohammed Al-Shalaldeh said on state television that such a referral was advocated by the committee, 's Arabic-language service reported.
Al-Shalaldeh was selected to lead the committee, which was revealed by Shtayyeh on the same day asBanat's death.
According to Al-Shalaldeh's statement, the committee met with witnesses and other relevant parties, includingBanat's relatives, present when he was detained.
A physician working on his relatives' behalf was involved with the committee for the first two days and was present at apost-mortem.It was not immediately clear if this was the same physician who discovered that Banat haddied within an hour of his detention.
Security services spokesperson and General Political Commissioner Talal Dwaikat confirmed that the report had successfully made its way to the military judiciary's chief, Wafa reported.
Dwaikat noted that the body would immediatelycommence its probe.
Palestinians chanting “your blood won’t be in vain,” during Nizar Banat’s funeral in occupied Hebron.
— Mohammed El-Kurd (@m7mdkurd)
Calls for the PA to conduct “a thorough investigation” on itself are futile. There is no enigma in how or why Nizar was assassinated. Abbas must resign.
He also said the committee'sleader had been sent the civilian attorney general's report on the incident.
However, the does not have the backing of his family, according to reports.
His relatives told media on Monday they demand an investigation comprised of half local and half international bodies and rights organisations.
Banat's father Khalil slammed the investigation, arguing that "all its parties are from the Palestinian Authority and this is the law of the jungle".
