Yossi Melman writes in today’s Haaretz that Attorney General Yehudah Weinstein appears dissatisfied with the results of the Shabak interrogation of Dirar Abusisi. The reporter notes that Weinstein has told the security services to procure further evidence on eight subjects. Given my experience following such security matters, something smells a little off about the government’s case. It’s unusual in the Israeli legal system for a security suspect to be held longer than 30 days without filing charges. They’ve had Abusisis for 34 days. After that amount of time they still have eight areas in which the top government lawyer says he needs better evidence to prosecute. What’s wrong with this picture? The attorney general has also told Shabak that there is a wide gap between the claims levelled against the kidnapped Gaza engineer and the evidence he’s seen. This does not sound like a happy prosecutor.
We’re talking about some of the best goons in the business here, in the Shabak. They might be able to extract blood from a turnip or an Arab. Yet either Dirar isn’t breaking as they anticipated or they simply have nothing against him and can’t build a credible case with what they’ve got.
To indicate just how sensitive the Shabak is to the publicity surrounding this case (and how important it is for us to do what we’re doing), Melman indicates Abusisi was introduced to the courtroom via a side entrance so the scores of journalists and photographers mingling about could not photograph him.
The Haaretz reporter also notes that for the first time the Ukrainian intelligence services have invited Veronika Abusisi to speak with them about her husband’s kidnapping. Until now, they’ve been extremely reluctant to offer her any help whatsoever. This would indicate that Ukraine is feeling a certain amount of pressure over the incident.
I note that Ukraine is a member of the Council of Europe and as such is bound by the following resolution which attacked the underlying premises of the Bush administration’s extraordinary rendition program. If you change “United States of America” to “Israel” and “some Council of Europe member states” to “Ukraine,” then Abusisi’s predicament is just as relevant to this document:
The Assembly condemns the systematic exclusion of all forms of judicial protection and regrets that, by depriving hundreds of suspects of their basic rights, including the right to a fair trial, the United States has done a disservice to the cause of justice and has tarnished its own hard-won reputation as a beacon of the defence of civil liberties and human rights.
Some Council of Europe member states have knowingly colluded with the United States to carry out such unlawful operations; others have tolerated them or simply turned a blind eye. They have also gone to great lengths to ensure that such operations remained secret and protected from effective national or international scrutiny.
This collusion with the United States of America by some Council of Europe member states has taken several different forms. Having carried out a legal and factual analysis on a range of cases of alleged secret detentions and unlawful transfers, the Assembly has identified instances in which Council of Europe member states have acted in one or several of the following ways, wilfully or at least recklessly in violation of their international human rights obligations…
Secretly detaining a person on European territory for an indefinite period of time, whilst denying that person’s basic human rights and failing to ensure procedural legal guarantees such as habeas corpus;
Capturing and handing a person over to the United States whilst knowing that such a person would be unlawfully transferred into a US-administered detention facility;
Permitting the unlawful transportation of detainees on civilian aircraft carrying out rendition operations, travelling through European airspace or across European territory;
…The Assembly highlights the widespread breach of the positive obligation of all Council of Europe member states to investigate such allegations in a full and thorough manner.
The Assembly calls upon the member states of the Council of Europe to:
Ensure that unlawful inter-state transfers of detainees will not be permitted and take effective measures to prevent renditions and rendition flights through member states’ territory and airspace;
Ensure that no one is arbitrarily detained, secretly or otherwise, on a member state’s territory or any territory within the member states’ effective control;
…Ensure that all victims of rendition or secret detention have access to an effective remedy and obtain prompt and adequate reparation, including restitution, rehabilitation and fair and adequate financial compensation.
Is anyone home there, Ukraine? You expect to host the Euro Cup next year and you can’t even abide by the basic human rights provisions of the Council of Europe. As I wrote earlier, the nation is not yet ready for the prime time of European democracy. Everything appears for sale there including justice. I wonder what’s the price for a Gaza civil engineer? Maybe a free trade agreement? A few advanced Elbit weapons systems?
Its amazing how the only index/way to measure “justice” and “readiness for democracy” for u is the israeli-arab conflict.
I wonder how come uve never had the urge to write that Ukraine shouldnt host the euro cap finals BEFORE abu sissi was arrested/kidnapped there.
I wonder if we will see u writing about the olympic games that will take place in China, Brazil and Russia during the next few yesrs (or the world cup finals which are supposed to take place in brazil in 2014).
Actually i dont really wonder. i know the answer is “no”.
Um, you have a little problem in that you don’t seem to understand that the subject of this blog IS the Israeli Palestinian conflict. And when a nation particpates in the kidnapping of a Palestinian that this makes that nation a part of the Israeli Palestinian drama & therefore a subject for discussion. If/When Brazil, China or Russia kidnap an Israeli or Palestinian on their soil you can be sure I’ll be covering it.
The Palestinian, pro-palestinian and Jewish pro-peace organizations in France are trying to put pressure on Michel Platini, the newly reelected president of the UEFA to cancel the European Under-21 Championship supposed to take place in Israel in 2013.
In the autumn of 2010, Platini already had considerations of excluding Israel from the European Zone for its treatment of Palestinian sport generally and the difficulties that Palestinians have of travelling freely.
When Palestine played its first official international match in Ramallah two weeks ago, most players from Gaza were not allowed to leave ‘the open prison’ to join the team in the West Bank.
During the qualification to the World Cup 2006, a filmmaker followed the Palestinian team. Palestinians players from Chile and Argentina – more than half the team – were simply not allowed to enter the TO, and the others were not allowed to leave, and still they nearly made it. We may not have many Nobel Prize winners, but out football team would beat the Israelis anytime 🙂
After the killing of the people playing football in Gaza, I hope the cancelling will go through.
Does anyone know anyone at the Assembly of the CoE? The Assembly will convene next week and maybe there is a chance to get this on the agenda as a special item?
Or how about EU readers of this blog faxing letters to embassies of EU states in Kiev, Tel Aviv and Ramallah/East Jerusalem and the EU’s delegations there too, demanding that the matter be looked into?
I could draft something this afternoon that we could use as a template and maybe Richard can post it?
How about approaching AI and HRW by writing to their HQs and through our respective chapters?
Or how about an online petition? I am not usually in favor of these as I don’t think they are very effective but maybe someone here has a different experience with this?
Has the Guardian reported on this yet? If not, does anyone have contacts there?
I don’t know anyone at CoE, but perhaps a reader might. The Palestine Human Rights Fund suggested contacting Memorial in Russia, which I’ve just done. UNHCR’s local rep in Ukraine is involved. I’ve been in touch with Edith Garwood of AI and Bill Van Esveld of HRW, but nothing has been forthcoming yet fr. either group. I have also sent an e mail to Kenneth Roth & heard no response. Perhaps we need higher level intervention fr. people other than me with more personal relationships.
I will of course post anything you prepare, Steffen & appreciate whatever you can do.
I’m not keen on the CiF folks at the Guardian, but perhaps someone knows people on the news side. I’ve tried to interest Tim Franks of BBC & Sheera Frenkel of the Times in the story, with no success.