16 September 1997

On Tuesday 15 September, a spokesperson for the Israeli military reported that a prison officer in Megiddo Prison in northern Israel found Palestinian administrative detainee Marwan Hassan Ibrahim Maali dead in his cell, apparently from hanging. Mr. Maali’s family believes there are suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and demands the opening of an investigation to discover the real causes.

Mr. Maali comes from Ajja Village near Jenin and was arrested by the Israeli army on 4 August 1997, during the mass arrest campaign carried out by the Israeli military after the bombings in West Jerusalem. He was placed in administrative detention (detention without charge or trial) for two months.

Mr. Maali was born in 1966 and was married with 3 children, with ages ranging from 6 months to 6 years. His wife is now pregnant.

According to documentation collected by LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, Mr. Maali was not suffering from depression or psychological problems. In addition, the Israeli prison authorities prohibited a scheduled family visit the day before his death.

LAW demands that the Israeli authorities open a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority to discover the real cause of death. Furthermore, LAW re-iterates its demand that all administrative detainees be tried or released, as the detainees are illegally held in Israeli prisons.

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