ACCIDENTAL FATAL SHOOTING BY PALESTINIAN POLICE

31 July 1996

LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment

PO Box 20873

Jerusalem

Tel: (972) (2) 812364/824559

Fax: (972) (2) 811072

email: lawe@netvision.net.il

Bethlehem, West Bank -- At approximately 6:30 pm on 30 July, Palestinian police officer Ramsi Arar accidentally shot and fatally wounded 20 year-old Bethlehem hospital employee Ali Alziboun, from Deheisheh Refugee Camp.

The police officer worked as a guard at the hospital, and was apparently showing off his automatic rifle when it went off. Ali was killed instantly.

This is not the first incident of death or injuries resulting from the irresponsible handling of police weapons. Although the practice of shooting into the air has been banned by the Palestinian Authority, police still do so at weddings and other celebrations. In Deheisheh Camp alone there have been two injuries sustained when armed Palestinians working with the Authority shot into the air.

LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment calls for strict enforcement of the regulations regarding weapons and shooting into the air.

LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-government organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAWE is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.