Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has reportedly ordered the release of 14 officers accused of killing Palestinian activist Nizar Banat last year, Quds Press wrote on Tuesday.
“The PA, ordered by President Mahmoud Abbas, has released the 14 suspects on condition that they attend the court hearings on time,” one security source told the news site.
Press sources: "The military court releases the 14 defendants in the Nizar Banat assassination case on bail."
— Palestine News 24/7 (@PaliNewsBot) June 21, 2022
Meanwhile, an informed source from inside the PA denied the release of the suspects, saying that “their lawyer applied for their conditional release, but a decision on the issue has yet to be taken.” However, the source did not rule out their release to spend time at home.
This came amidst preparations by the activist’s family and rights groups to mark the first anniversary of his murder with a massive ceremony.
Family of Killed Palestinian Activist Nizar Banat Look for Justice at International Courts – Palestine Chronicle https://t.co/KV03gzDOhV via @GoogleNews
— Seb Alam BDS 🇵🇸🇨🇮 (@SebPalac) May 21, 2022
On June 24, 2021, a large number of officers from the PA Protective Security Apparatus raided the home of Banat’s uncle and beat the activist harshly, using the butts of their guns, iron batons and other tools.
He suffered a hemorrhage and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Following mass protests and local and international requests for investigations into his death, the PA charged 14 officers and started cases against them.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
