The London-based Amnesty International has appealed for quick action to release a Palestinian arrested by Israeli security forces earlier this month, saying that he is at “grave risk of torture.”
“Hospital administrator Samer Fawzi Awartani was arrested by the Israeli security forces on 7 May as he returned from a medical conference in Oxford, England. He is now reportedly detained without charge or trial, and he is at grave risk of torture,” said a statement of which Albawaba.com had a copy by e-mail.
Awartani, the administrative director of Rafidia Hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, is now held in Ptah Tikva detention center.
“He has not been allowed to see his lawyer or his family, in contravention of the basic principles of international law,” added the statement.
On 14 May, his lawyer discovered that an Israeli court had extended Samer's detention by another two weeks without informing him or his client, said Amnesty.
He was arrested on his return from the UK at the Allenby Bridge crossing point between the West Bank and Jordan.
Several Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli security forces since the outbreak of the Intifada, alleging that they planned “terror acts against Israeli targets.”
Amnesty has launched “Stop Torture” campaign aimed at gaining support from individuals and organizations to stop torture against people held in prisons – Albawaba.com
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