Military court Petach Tiqwa, Monday 1.5.06 Reporter: Rachela m. The judge: Adi Figel The lawyers: Nizar Mahnaja from Nadi el Asir, Abed Mahamad from Ansar a Sagin, Firas Sabah from Damir, and a private lawyer, Andre Rosenthal, who came to represent one of the prisoners. There were 24 prisoners, 5 of them were prevented of seeing a lawyer. Summary I arrived at 10:00 AM but the hearings began only at 11:00 because of Remembrance’s day service. I had to leave at 14:00, by this time only 6 prisoner’s hearings were held. The hearings were conducted in a relatively slow manner. Possibly from 2 reasons, first- the judge read the documents in slowness or maybe in thoroughness and wrote long reports. Second- every prisoner was brought separately-probably because of the removal of the blindfolds from their eyes.Did the allegedly thorough study improve the judge’s decisions or the juridical procedure? In my opinion it’s unlikely.Again the same routine of excuse: everything is on the “confidential reports” and almost a complete response from the court to the GSS’ demands. Initially I met in Petach Tiqva the lawyer Andre Rosenthal (defends political detainees and speaks Arabic) who came to defend in a private manner on a prisoner named Housan Hamran(A full report is following).When he stepped out I asked him what in his opinion we can do and where it’s important for us to be. He replied that Petach Tiqva is the most important place. I didn’t manage to ask him why because he was in a hurry. As for my question about what can be done, his answer was: nothing.The attorneys’ issue Mandi el-asir, who have been for more than 4 months without any payment (As I wrote two weeks ago they threatened that they would start a strike, but it was delayed for another two weeks), their problem is similar to the problems of all the PA’s clerks, that the United States, Israel and Europe decided to “to dry out” as a part of a punishing policy due to the democratic election of the Hamas movement.Saad Basem Yasin (Abu-Omar) the chief of the legal department in the organization Ansar A-Sagin in Nablus that I’ve written about in my former reports (22.3.06, 5.4.06)is still detained. His Colleague Abad represents him. This is the fifth extension.He is detained for 58 days. As we recall on Tuesday April 4th 2006 a decision was obtained in Kishon to bail him out for 20 thousand shekels.The GSS appealed and of course won. Exchange of words held between Abed and the police’s representative, that weren’t any different in their contents from the former hearings (Abed asks a question and the answer is always in the “confidential report”).The judge decides to accept the GSS request for a 17 days extension, and even bothers to inform that there is a new accusation and there will probably be more other extensions in the future. Housan HamranHis attorney is Andre Rosenthal. He refuses to sign on a attendance form (his own) that was given to him by the station commander and the judge accepts his refusal (we can refuse as well) and asks why the station commander forced him to wait 3 hours on Friday morning before giving him the chance to visit his client. Likewise he pointed out that Housan Hamran is an ill person aged 45-50 and takes medications, the medications were in his bag in Petach Tiqva and it was promised to Rosenthal that he could deliver the medications to Hamran that same day. Till today, 4 days, Hamran didn’t get his medications. Rosenthal demands to supply Hamran with his medications instead of giving him alternative medicines that are not useful. Hamran has been living in Texas since 1979, and he serves as an Imam in a mosque. He arrived for a visit in his brother’s house. At that night a search was held in the house, while all the windows in his house were smashed, his wanted brother wasn’t caught, and Rosenthal claims that Hamran is being held as a hostage in order to make his brother to turn himself in. Hamran deals in fundraising for needy people in Kenya and in Pakistan; he arrives to places where disasters take place and gathers donations for assisting the victims. His entire investigations evolved around his brother, when his being pressured to condemn his brother as a Hamas activist with the assistance of investigators and the GSS’ interrogators. He is detained for over a month, and this is the second extension after they prevented him in the first period to meet with a lawyer. This is a short section from the conversation between the lawyer and the police representative:Rosenthal: what are the suspicions against him? Transferring money? Do you know from which year he has been living abroad? Where does he live?Police representative: I don’t know. He lives in Jenin.Rosenthal: He lives in Texas. Does that indicate something to you? What did you find in the search at his brother’s house last night?Police representative: I don’t know.Rosenthal: Do you have a search warrant?Police representative: Yes we do.Rosenthal: What was found?Police representative: (searches the file) there is no search report. I don’t know about a search.Rosenthal: Why isn’t he getting his medications?Police representative: I don’t know. I wasn’t present at the last extension. There’s a doctor in the detention center.Rosenthal: Are there any evidence?Police representative: Refers to the confidential report.Rosenthal: This is the second extension already. After a month of detention he deserves to know if there are any evidences against him.Police representative: There are alleged evidences, in the confidential report. Rosenthal: Is there a confession?Police representative: Partially.Rosenthal: Where was the transfer made, in the U.S? Police representative: The transfer was made in August 2005. Rosenthal: It was made through the bank? Transferred to his brother? To what did he admit?Police representative: I can’t answer that. To some of the suspicions.… And so on. It’s obvious that an Israeli/Jewish attorney allows himself much more than one that isn’t, but he doesn’t achieve much more. The judge’s decision: another 17 days’ extension instead of 24 days. Other extensions Third extension: Shadi Haled Hamadan from the refugees camp Nablus, a minor. Abed is representing him, he is arrested since 24.4.06 the number of days for extension (?) according to the GSS’ request.Fourth extension: Mouhamad Haled Saliman, prevented from seeing a lawyer. Abed represents him. 24 days according to the GSS’ request.Fifth extension: Saed Juda, Nizar represents him. 17 days according to the GSS’ request