After consulting with Dirar Abusisi’s attorney, his wife and brother and checking the facts regarding the Shabak accusations, I can say with absolute certainty that they are a fraud.
They are a fraud in large part because Abusisi, likely under torture or extreme duress gave an account to his interrogators that was blatantly false. But the part that indicates the sheer incompetence of the security services is that they didn’t even check to determine whether the information he proferred was accurate. That would seem to be an elemental rule of spycraft.
And whatever Abusisi couldn’t provide them to embellish the story they appear to have made up.
It seems that the Shabak has been hoisted on its own petard.
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this post, I tried to summarize from memory Dirar Abusisi’s charge sheet, which I’d correctly translated in yesterday’s post. I made two errors. This post has been edited to correct those errors.
First, Shabak’s charge sheet claims Abusisi studied missile design at the Kharkov military academy and that his advisor was a Professor Petrovich, who specialized in SCUD rocket technology. The claim is that he led a double life while earning his PhD in electrical engineering at a civilian wing of the institute, while all the while maintaining a full program in military engineering.
A few minor problems with claim: first, according to his wife, Abusisi attended the Zaporhizia Machine Building Institute, A reader below has done a search of the database for Abusisi’s doctoral dissertation and it says he defended it at the Kharkiv State Academic of Municipal Economy. His brother Yousef notes that Dirar arned his degree in electrical generation, and Dirar’s lawyer told me that Prof. Petrovich does not exist. As I said, I have these facts both from Yousef and Veronika Abusisi and the victim’s attorney and no information they’ve offered till now has been proven wrong.
I am getting a different impression of the charge sheet regarding Abusisi’s “recruitment” to Hamas in which I claimed yesterday the Shabak may’ve deliberately concocted his relations with a number of assassinated Palestinian militant leaders. It now occurs to me that it may’ve been Abusisi himself who concocted the story using such figures because no one in Shabak could possibly investigate the authenticity of his claims.
In short, the accusations against Abusisi are a tissue of lies.
If Shabak throws this man in prison it and the government will be made to be the laughing-stock of intelligence agencies around the world.
And I put the world media on notice that whoever reports the Israeli charges at face value will wind up with egg on their faces.
Media emptor.
I also put the Shabak on notice that someday this man will go free and if you harm a hair on his head as punishment for what he’s done you will face a reckoning either moral or legal. The days of impunity are rapidly drawing to an end.
Caveat media, indeed. When, after all, have secret services ever put details of confessions in public?
I thought Israel did all its dirty work in secret. (The USA does!) Usually, I should think, not even the attorney for the accused would be allowed to see/hear the “evidence”, and military judges (or the equivalent) would review the “evidence” and find the defendant guilty, all without publicity (except as to the verdict).
Could you comment on this?
I find your logic difficult to understand.
IF abusisi is indeed guilty of what Israel thinks he is guilty of then why would harming “a hair of his head” be so terrible. After all abusisi had no qualms about building rockets that harmed many Israeli hairs. Why then should his hair be more protected?
That’s a MIGHTY BIG “if.” An “if” I don’t accept at all.
If what you are saying is correct than it is indeed a grave injustice that has been done to Abu Sisi. Now, as to the existence of Petrovich I have no clue. Your other claims, however are both misleading and wrong. I’ve read the original hebrew version of the indictment and found that your english translation is incorrect:
1. In fact Shabak does state that Abu Sisi’s Phd is in electrical engineering (clause 6 of the background section).
2. As to the allegation that Shabak claims he earned his Phd in the millitary academy, this is blantly incorrect. The correct translation for clause 3 which details this claim is: “Prof. Constantine Petrovich, an expert on Scud guidance equipment, is a lecturer in the Millitary Engineering Academy in Kharkov, Ukraine, which directed the defendant while writing his Phd in the Civillian Academy”(!)
They claim Petrovich worked in the Millitary facility, and that he gave Abu Sisi a permit to attend lectures in that facility, with no connection to his Phd whatsoever.
I’m sorry but you translated it wrong. Once again you rush hot-blooded to conclusions. I urge you to correct your mistakes so as to cover this story more fairly. You should really double-check before you come out with threats and pompous warnings- it’s beneath you.
Job’s statement ….’If what (Richard) is saying is correct than (sic) it is indeed a grave injustice that has been done to Abu Sisi.”
IF?…..to be kidnapped ‘extraordinary rendition’…from a third country to (a so-called “unilaterally disengaged”) Occupier country–beaten? tortured? THAT is more than a grave Injustice. It is criminal.
However, “If” what Richard said was– imperfect– or had errors, what of it?
He is a thoughtful careful writer who weighs his words & acknowledges errors if made.
More important, however, is that Richard has not breeched international criminal law or human/civil rights…
…he is not a war criminal.
He has no blood on his hands.. he is not a torturer or racist nationalist.
He serves simply as a righteous messenger of information.
However I cannot say the same for those who blindly rush in ever ready to defend the Powerful, the Oppressors, Torturers, Racists..mendacious spinners of disinformation.. modern day Goebbels and always ready to bully or attack those who side with the actual victims.
Which side are you on, brother?
Well, Richard, that, I would say, amounts to laying down the law in no uncertain terms. Bravo.
Nevertheless, it is still an attempt to treat the symptoms, commendable thought that may be. The disease itself continues onward, unchecked and just as rampant as ever.
In the classic tale of the tortoise and the hare, it is the tortoise that emerges as the eventual winner although, given the relative speeds of both creatures, such an outcome requires a considerable stretch of the imagination.
It would seem that, as with this ongoing Palestinian/Israeli conflict, a similar race has been taking place between liberal elements on the one hand and extremists on the other. Extremists want to hurry the matter along, reaching for some speedy conclusion through the application of more and more aggressive methods, shock tactics that are sometimes sanctified by no less than divine authority. Liberals, in contrast, tend to favour the slower route, one of exploration, mutual agreement, combining natural justice with pleas for restraint and coexistence, looking for the best result in the face of some very trying circumstances. Both approaches, it must be said, do have their drawbacks. Too fast a result, even with intervention from on high, would be difficult to swallow by whichever party came off worst. And too slow a settlement provides yet more opportunities for compounding a situation already rendered extremely volatile by past crimes and mistaken policies.
It would appear, therefore, that some middle way must be found, that the excesses and reservations held in common by both sides must be fused into a framework capable of elevating this whole debacle onto a much higher level. Only then may some meaning and purpose be assigned to so much of what has gone before. And is yet to come.
So, is our role in this matter ever to be that of the hare or the tortoise? Or will some hybrid creature eventually emerge, combining the sudden impetus of the one with all the deliberate constancy of the other? Victory at that final finish line may very well depend on whatever choice it is we make.
In the meantime, there is still the affair of Mr Abusisi and Shabak to consider. Along with all the other symptoms.
Did u read the charge sheet in hebrew?
I read it now and what u say is simply not true.
It clearly states his phd was in Electrical Engineering, and not missle design, like u claim they said.
Here it says in simple hebrew that Prof. Petrovic works at Kharkovs military academy, and he guided Abu Sisi when Abu Sisi did his PhD at a CIVIC academy at Ukraine.
Theres no claim he did his phd in military academy either. It doesnt even mention WHERE exactly abu sisi did his phd in ukraine, and only states Petrovic works at kharkov as well.
The last claim ur left with is that Petrovic doesnt exist. I think its rather easy to find out, as it requires one simple call to ukraine, and it probably will be done if someone will claim this during the trial. I dont think u can say its a “fact” only because abu sisis lawyer and brother say so. Its like someone told u yesterday. You’re so eager to prove that theres no reason real reason for his arrest youre mixing facts with claims which are yet to be proven and your own opinions.
When u speculated for few weeks about the reason he was arrested, and claimed it was because he was rebuilding the power plant in gaza – this was ur opinion speculation.
Actually, as long as You’re not talking to shabak officer responsible for the whole case, or choose to disagree with the charge sheet – you’re speculating.
He didn’t attend the institution the charge sheet claims he did and the professor doesn’t exist. I did make some mistakes in my overhasty translation of the charge sheet which you’ve corrected.. The translation I published in yesterday’s blog post IS accurate.
You don’t understand the difference between speculation & a factual assertion. When I speculate I tell you that I am doing so. When I state that something is a fact I am not speculating. So let me rephrase, tell me when any factual assertion of mine has been proven wrong in such cases?
I’m tickled by the fact that you claim the only person who knows what really happened is the Shabak interrogator. Why not the actual victim? But why trust the victim. They’re only Palestinian after all & certainly unreliable, while your Mukhabarat are always so. Right??
May i assume Richard that you don’t speak Russian do you ?
didn’t think so. That’s way you didn’t find Barakhov Konstantin Petrovich who’s assistant professor at KHI.
19 Picture from above in the following link – http://www.khai.edu/page.php?pid=719
You hard about the 7P’s ? i suggest you’ll adopt it.
is this a joke?
you called his attorney (a profession that is occupied by a very special breed of human beings who worships the truth and never lies), his wife and brother (probably the best choices for hearing the truth when their loved one is facing years in jail).
let me guess, you asked them about the charges and they said this is all rubbish. i’m convinced! praised the lord!
a good one richard.
p.s.
i think research wont be the best career choice for you, you will have difficulties with something called confirmation bias. keep you day job.
Research would not be Richard’s best career choice?! You clearly have not followed this blog for long buddy!
Let’s put it this way: when it comes to truth I’ll trust the victim and his family over the secret police any day if the former’s testimony has previously proven reliable as the Abusisis has.
The charges which you posted do not say the same thing that you claim they say.
“Shabak’s charge sheet claims Abusisi earned his PhD in missile design at the Kharkov military academy”
It specifically says that he earned his degree at a different civilian institute. I quote the charge:
“3. פרופסור קונסטנטין פטרוביץ (להלן:”הפרופסור”), מומחה מנגנוני שליטה בטילי סקאד, הינו מרצה באקדמיה הצבאית להנדסה בחארקוב שבאוקראינה, אשר הנחה את הנאשם בעת כתיבת עבודת הדוקטורט שלו באוקראינה באקדמיה האזרחית. ”
It says Petrovich was a lecturer at the military academy while the accused earned his degree at the civilian academy. It further says that he was able to acquire an entrance pass for the accused to the military academy so that he could sit in at lectures there, so it is clear that according to the charge that Abu Sissi was not enrolled at the military academy.
I don’t see how you can claim that Prof. Petrovich doesn’t exist. The best you can say is that the people you spoke to claim to never have heard of him.
Prof. Petrovich doesn’t exist because Abusisi told his attorney he made his up. Can’t get a better source than that. A researcher in the Ukraine has found no reference to such a professor.
I’ll just add one more point I found out using google’s translation tool.
According to this: “Meanwhile, a simple search in an electronic catalog of the National libraries in the Ukraine named. Vernadsky shows that Dirar Mousa Abu Sisi defended in 1999, received his Ph.D. in Kharkiv State Academy of Municipal Economy, the theme – “The use of booster transformer with electronic control for improving power quality in urban power grids.”
Link: http://eajc.org/page16/news23123
This may be the civilian academy the charge is referring to. The Zaporhizia Institute, by the way, also has a military department.
Thanks. His wife noted the connection to Zaporhizia. It looks like it is possible Yousef’s information is better than Vernoika’s as he noted that Dirar’s PhD was in electric power generation. She said that Dirar attended Zaporhizia. I wonder if he could’ve done a joint degree or studied at both Instititutes.
Frankly, I don’t understand how a PhD on his subject could have any practical military use.
Konstantin Petrovich usually means Konstantin son of Peter in Russian, Ukranian etc. Petrovich is much less common as a last name
Richard,
thank you for your commitment and research. Do you have a CV of Dirar Abu Seesi? It would be helpful to know when (1968/1969?) and where (city) he was born. When did he studied at the Zaporizhia Machine Building Institute, what is the address of the institution and where (library catalog) can I find his dissertation?
BTW: If Dirar Abu Seesi is the “Deputy Engineer” for the Gaza Strip’s sole electrical plant, who is the chief engineer? What is the name and address of the plant.
Cheers,
Patrick from Wikipedia
As I just commented on the previous thread, according to the following report (translated by Google) in a Russian-speaking Ukrainian publication, they are probably talking about Konstantin Petrovich Vlasov (Petrovich is a patronimic, Vlasov is the last name), who worked at the Kharkov Academy of Municipal Economy at the time when Dirar Abu Sisi studied there and who had nothing to do with any arms research or development. The article also contains Dirar’s history of studying in Ukraine, as well as a photo copy of his academic transcript (in Ukrainian) from the Zaporozh’e State Technical University:
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=ru&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.segodnya.ua%2Fnews%2F14239654.html&act=url