- Title: Palestinians enraged by activist's death march on Abbas compound
- Date: 24th June 2021
- Summary: NEAR HEBRON, WEST BANK (JUNE 24, 2021) (REUTERS) WIFE OF BANAT TALKING TO MEDIA RELATIVE OF BANAT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) WIFE OF BANAT, JIHAN BANAT, SAYING: "Two months ago, there was a shooting towards us from unknown people, they wanted to kill Nizar because they targeted our bedroom. For two months, he has been away from home, we didn't see him, we heard at 3:00 am that he was arrested, they took all his belongings and laptop, two hours later he was announced death." FAMILY OF BANAT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) WIFE OF BANAT, JIHAN BANAT, SAYING: "What are they killing us for? They will not kill all the Palestinians, Palestinians are not afraid of (Israeli) occupation soldiers, will they be afraid of the (Palestinian) Authority and its forces? They will not be afraid. I call on all Palestinians to be like Nizar Banat." VARIOUS OF RELATIVES OF BANAT AT MOURNING HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RELATIVE OF BANAT AND EYEWITNESS, HUSSIAN BANAT, SAYING: "We were at home at 3:30am, suddenly we heard noise of breakthrough, they broke the windows and opened the door of the room where we were sleeping and they were from the preventive forces. When they broke in, we were sleeping and Nizar too, we woke up while they were beating Nizar with their metal sticks on his head." OFFICIAL OF THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, FAREED AL ATRASH, IN WHITE SHIRT, TALKING TO BANAT'S FAMILY RELATIVE OF BANAT SMOKING RELATIVES OF BANAT AT MOURNING HOUSE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OFFICIAL OF THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, FAREED AL ATRASH, SAYING: "The commission is still gathering information about the circumstances of the death of the political activist and parliamentary candidate Nizar Banat, god bless his soul." HEBRON, WEST BANK (JUNE 24, 2021) (REUTERS) PALESTINIANS PROTESTING AFTER BANAT'S DEATH PROTESTERS HOLDING POSTER (R) READING IN (Arabic): 'PRESIDENT OF PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE 'ASSASSINATION OF BANAT' PROTEST IN PROGRESS NEAR HEBRON, WEST BANK (JUNE 24, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OFFICIAL OF THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, FAREED AL ATRASH, SAYING: "What happened is regrettable and embarrassing, it is a black day for Palestinian history and a black day in the history of this authority." HEBRON, WEST BANK (JUNE 24, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTEST, WOMEN CHANTING IN (Arabic): 'SHAME, SHAME'
- Embargoed: 8th July 2021 14:42
- Keywords: Hebron Nizar Banat Palestinians West Bank critic security forces
- Location: NEAR HEBRON, HEBRON AND RAMALLAH, UNKNOWN LOCATION, WEST BANK
- City: NEAR HEBRON, HEBRON AND RAMALLAH, UNKNOWN LOCATION, WEST BANK
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA005EIRGF9J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of angry Palestinians marched towards Mahmoud Abbas's presidential compound in the occupied West Bank on Thursday (June 24) to demand he resign over the death of a well-known activist following his arrest by Palestinian Authority security forces.
Demonstrators held posters of Nizar Banat as they came under tear gas fire by dozens of PA forces in riot gear trying to prevent the group from reaching President Abbas's headquarters, in the centre of the West Bank city of Ramallah.
According to Banat's relatives, security forces severely beat him during his arrest overnight in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. The PA-appointed governor of the city, Jibrin Al-Bakri, said Banat had died when his health deteriorated following his arrest, without elaborating on the cause.
Banat, 43, was a social activist who had accused Abbas's PA of corruption, including over a short-lived COVID-19 vaccine exchange with Israel this month and Abbas's postponement of a long-delayed election in May. Banat had registered as a parliamentary candidate for that contest.
A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority did not respond to a request for comment on the arrest and accusations that its forces had beat Banat.
Following U.N. demands for an inquiry into Banat's death, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, an Abbas appointee, ordered the formation of an investigation committee that he said would include the PA's Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR).
But in an apparent sign of public distrust in the PA's inquiry, ICHR director general Ammar Dwaik later said ICHR would not be involved in the PA investigation committee.
(Production: Yosri Al-Jamal, Ali Sawafta, Mohamad Torokman, Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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