Press Release

29 October 2001

On Wednesday 24 October, the Prosecution appealed the court ruling of 18 October ordering the release of Mr. Darawi within 72 hours along side bail posted at 10,000 NIS and a court guarantee of 15,000 NIS. On Thursday 25 October the court sat and reviewed the Prosecutions’ appeal. The court came to the conclusion that Mr. Darawi should be released. His bail was however raised from 10,000 to 12,000 NIS, with two persons from his family obliged to sign court appearance guarantees of 60,000 NIS each and his wife obliged to sign a guarantee of 70,000 NIS.

Upon this court ruling, the Prosecution then produced an Administrative Detention order for six months. The order came into force on 25 October 2001and will last until 24 April 2002.

Mr. Darawi has been in detention since 10 September and has undergone interrogation and torture. Mr. Darawi is being charged for being a member of the Students Workers Front while he was a student. The Israeli authorities maintain that the Students Workers Front is a student affiliate of the PFLP and that Mr. Darawi represented students in the University Council. The charge against Mr. Darawi solely revolves around his past association with the Student Workers Front and from purported evidence gathered from two detainees in 1996. It should be noted that Mr. Darawi has not been charged for any specific crime.

Al-Haq finds no merit in Israel’s charges against Mr. Darawi and views the use of Administrative Detention orders as testimony to the baseless charges that have been leveled against him (See al-Haq Press release 23 October 2001). Al-Haq urges the Israeli authorities to immediately release Mr. Darawi.