Ramallah – Saba:
The Committee of Families of Political Prisoners condemned what it described as "the shameful crime committed by Palestinian Authority security forces Monday, arresting a number of young men from within the solidarity march with our people in the Gaza Strip, and assaulting the participants, including a girl, by security personnel in civilian clothing."
The committee, which deals with the affairs of political prisoners in Palestinian Authority prisons, explained in a statement, reported by the Palestinian Shehab News Agency, that what happened "is not merely an individual transgression, but rather a systematic behavior that reveals the oppressive face of the Palestinian Authority's security apparatus, which now views every free voice as a threat to its existence and treats its people as if they were enemies."
It added that "the assault on citizens who came out in support of Gaza under bombardment, and their arrest in this barbaric manner, is a blatant betrayal of the national cause and an alignment with the occupation's policies that seek to silence the Palestinian street and break its will."
The committee affirmed that the beating and physical and psychological assault of demonstrators by Palestinian Authority security personnel, including the assault of a Palestinian girl, "represents a dangerous decline in the Authority's security behavior and requires a serious national and popular stance to put an end to these violations."
The committee held the Palestinian Authority and its security services fully responsible for the safety of the detainees and demanded their immediate and unconditional release, stressing that "the continuation of the policy of repression will not stem the popular tide, nor will it silence the voice of the street, which will stand up for dignity and freedom despite the repression and brutality."
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