“I am one of those who are not silent. “ A few days ago, on June 19, his green eyes fixed on the camera, Palestinian activist Nizar Banat challenged power in Ramallah. In a short video, he accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of corruption, for having accepted the delivery of soon-to-be-expired vaccines by Israel in exchange for the transfer of doses intended for the Palestinian territories which were due to arrive in the fall. The agreement was finally canceled but this pamphlet, posted on his Facebook page to 100,000 subscribers, certainly led to Nizar Banat being arrested Thursday, June 24 in Doura, near Hebron, in the southern West Bank. Palestinian security forces broke into his uncle’s house at around 3.30 a.m. Shortly before 6 a.m., Hebron Governor Jibrin Al-Bakri confirmed his death in a statement: During his arrest, “His health deteriorated. He was immediately transferred to the Hebron government hospital where doctors examined him and declared him dead ”.
A first autopsy, carried out Thursday, concluded that the causes of the death of Nizar Banat “Were not natural”. The examination “Revealed injuries caused by bruises and abrasions in many areas of the body including the head”, PA’s Independent Human Rights Commission reported, adding that some ribs were fractured and beatings to the skull. The finding supports the family’s accusations: for them, the 43-year-old activist died under torture. Visibly moved, his cousin, Hussein Banat, who slept in the same room, said he saw about 25 members of the security forces suddenly enter. “They brutally attacked Nizar, emptying three pepper gas bombs while he was sleeping. Then they beat him, without stopping, for eight minutes… They were there to assassinate him, not to stop him!, the 21-year-old said. He was in good health. The security forces are responsible for his death. “
On Thursday afternoon, hundreds of people attempted to reach the presidential palace in Ramallah, demanding the resignation of PA leader Mahmoud Abbas; the demonstration was violently dispersed. Under pressure from the United States, the European Union and the UN, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced the formation of a commission of inquiry.
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