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Charging Arafat's regime with corruption is a crime

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, December 6, 1999

RAMALLAH -- The Palestinian Authority plans to prosecute in state security courts eight Palestinians who signed a petition that charged the PA and chairman Yasser Arafat with corruption.

Eight of the 20 petitioners are still in detention and three of them had their remands extended for another 15 days, PA sources said. On Sunday, the detainees announced a hunger strike until they were released.

Human rights activists visited three of the detainees being held at the General Intelligence Detention Center in Jericho. Abdel Sattar Qasem, Adel Samara and Ahmad Qatamesh told the Palestinian Human Rights Council they were being well treated.

The detainees said they were being investigated on the signing of the petition. Among the questions asked by interrogators were why they had signed it and where the petition originated. PA officials have charged that opposition groups in Syria and Lebanon initiated the petition.

On Friday, PA police prevented a demonstration in Nablus to protest the shooting of a Palestinian legislator who signed the petition. Palestinian sources said PA military intelligence chief Mussa Arafat ordered the shooting of Mouawiya Masri.

State Security Court chief Khaled Qidra told the council that he wanted to charge the suspects with incitement. The council demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the eight detainees who signed the petition.

As many as 200 Palestinian intellectuals, civic leaders and political figures have signed a new petition calling on the PA to free those who signed the anti-corruption manifesto as well as other political critics. One of the signatories was Haidar Abdul Shafi, the former chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council who resigned from the council in protest against Arafat's rule.

Quietly, however, many Palestinians have given up on any reforms under Arafat's rule. "Under Arafat's personal rule, there is no possibility of bringing about democratic reform," said Palestinian analyst Khaled Amayreh, who is aligned with the opposition Hamas movement. "The Palestinians should therefore forget about democracy under Arafat and start prepare for the post-Arafat era."

Monday, December 6, 1999

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