Family of activist who died in Palestinian custody turn to ICC

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The family of an activist who died in the custody of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces have called on the International Criminal Court on Thursday to investigate, the first such referral by Palestinians against their leadership.

Nizar Banat, an outspoken critic of President Mahmoud Abbas’s PA, died in June 2021 after security forces arrested him at a house in the West Bank city of Hebron.

An autopsy conducted by a Palestinian rights groups said Banat was struck in the head and body, leading to his “unnatural death” within an hour of his arrest.

“After losing trust in the Palestinian judiciary’s independence, Nizar Banat’s family is now requesting that International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan investigate the brutal killing of their son and hold those involved accountable,” a statement signed by his brother, Ghassan Banat, said.

The PA, which has limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on the case. It has charged 14 low-ranking officers with various offences in connection with Banat’s death. All have pleaded not guilty.

Amnesty International has called the trial “flawed” and said those who gave the orders to arrest Banat must also be held accountable.

Stoke White Lawyers, the firm that filed the ICC referral, said in a tweet that the “grotesque” release of the 14 suspects for a nine-day holiday in June was among factors motivating the family.

The ICC has separately been investigating possible war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Israeli military or Palestinian groups in the Palestinian territories since March 2021.

Banat’s death heightened criticism of the PA under Abbas, whose popularity has plummeted since he assumed office in 2005, opinion polls show. The incident sparked days of protests in the West Bank that were violently suppressed by Palestinian forces.

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