Press Release

NEWS UPDATE

4 August 2010

For the Second Time in Eight Days Police Use Brutal Force to Violently Evacuate Arab Bedouin Residents of Unrecognized Village of al-Arakib in the Naqab

Adalah Again Demands an Immediate Criminal Investigation into Police Officers' Violent Destruction of Arab Bedouin Unrecognized Village al-Arakib in the Naqab and Use of Brutal Force against Residents, Leaders and Activists

(Haifa, Israel) Today 4 August 2010, Adalah sent a second urgent letter to Mr. Herzl Shapiro, the head of the Police Investigation Unit (Mahash) demanding an immediate investigation into the violent actions of the police involved in the evacuation and demolition of the Arab Bedouin unrecognized village of al-Arakib in the Naqab (Negev) for the second time in eight days.

In the letter, Adalah Attorney Abeer Baker stated that individuals who were present during this second day of evacuation and demolition, including residents of the village and civil society and political leaders and activists provided a full account of the brutal actions of the police. The police used brutal physical force including pushing, stomping, dragging, assaulting and cursing the people who were present in the village at the time.

"The accounts of the residents, leaders and activists who were present in the area of the village leave no doubt that the police used unjustified brutal force. These grave actions demand a thorough investigation and indictments of those who are found responsible," Adalah argued. Furthermore, Adalah stated that the police actions were completely unwarranted,  violating the constitutional rights of the people who were present, including their freedom and dignity as protected by the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom.

Last week, following the 27 July 2010 destruction of the village, Adalah Attorney Sawsan Zaher sent an initial letter to Mahash demanding the criminal investigation into the events which resulted in the razing of the entire village, leaving its 250 residents – men, women, elderly people and children, without a roof over their heads. Adalah further demanded the return of all of their belongings which were also confiscated.  

In the first letter, Adalah emphasized that the destruction of the village was undertaken brutally, and that the police used illegal means to deter the residents. Most homeowners were not given prior warning about the intention to demolish their property. Police forces came to the village at dawn, while most residents were sleeping. "The village was razed in an intentional way to cause destruction and devastation of all of the property, not only of the residents' homes in order to instill fear in their hearts," the letter stated.

Adalah is also seeking compensation for the residents' for the confiscation of their property; an order to return the residents' property; and an order to return money they were compelled to pay in order to release their property.

The Letter (Hebrew)

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