After a year in prison, Israeli court denies release of Palestinian circus performer
Dec. 10, 2016 5:19 P.M. (Updated: Dec. 10, 2016 5:27 P.M.)
▻http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?ID=774356
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) — After almost one year since Israeli authorities detained Palestinian circus performer Muhammad Faisal Abu Sakha , 23, and placed him under administrative detention, a petition to release him was rejected by the Israeli High Court, according to a Saturday statement from the Palestinian Circus School in Ramallah.
The statement said that after only 15 minutes of deliberation on Dec. 5, the court rejected the petition to release Abu Sakha based on “the same secret evidence opinion produced by the Military Prosecutor in December 2015,” that was used to justify his administrative detention order.
The only information provided over the course of Abu Sakha’s detention is that Israeli authorities have deemed him a “security threat,” something the school slammed as an “unfounded claim.”
The school highlighted the complete the lack of evidence against Sakha, as is typical of administrative detention — Israel’s widely-condemned policy of internment without charge or trial in maximum six-month long renewable intervals based on undisclosed evidence, that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.
“As long as no charges and accessible evidence are formally brought against him, Abu Sakha will be prevented from defending himself and effectively denied his right to a fair trial,” the statement said.
The school urged foreign missions in Palestine who have previously spoken out against Israel’s administrative detention policy, to “put pressure on Israel to stop the arbitrary use of administrative detention and free all Palestinian administrative detainees or give them the right to a fair trial.”