Israel still detains five Gaza citizens as "unlawful combatants"

[ 21/09/2011 - 04:41 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority is still holding five Gaza citizens under the so-called law of unlawful combatant after concluding their terms in prison, the Palestinian ministry of prisoners in Gaza said on Wednesday. Riyadh Al-Ashqar, the ministry’s spokesman, said the IOA released Abdullah Abu Mughiseeb, 29, a week ago after serving a six-year sentence then two more years as unlawful combatant thus reducing the number of those detainees to five. He charged the IOA with adopting that law in 2005 after the withdrawal from Gaza Strip and after endorsing it at the Knesset to circumvent the international law. He said that the law allowed the IOA to hold Palestinian citizens in custody without charge and for unlimited period. The detainees are not allowed to know charges leveled against them, not allowed to defend themselves, and not allowed to appear before court. Ashqar called for intervention on the part of the international human rights groups to stop this crime against the Palestinian prisoners and to annul this law, which contravenes international laws and conventions, and to release all those Palestinian detainees held under this law.