ICHR Demands the Immediate Release of Citizen Mezyed Saqf Al-Hayt

The Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) is closely monitoring the ongoing detention of citizen Mezyed Saqf Al-Hayt by security forces in the city of Nablus. He has been held for a week due to expressing his opinions on his Facebook page.

A force from the Criminal Investigation Department of General Police arrested Saqf Al-Hayt from his home in Nablus at dawn on October 16, 2024. They searched the house and confiscated communication devices before detaining him at the police station. He was then referred to the Public Prosecution, which ordered his continued detention, accusing him of defaming the public authority, insulting officials, and inciting sectarian and racial tensions. These are criminal charges often used to criminalize certain forms of free expression. On the same day, the Nablus Magistrate's Court approved his detention and ordered a 15-day extension to complete the investigation related to his social media posts.

The continued punishment of citizens for their opinions, by depriving them of their freedom, filing criminal charges, and subjecting them to trials, violates the right to freedom of expression and personal freedom. This starkly contrasts the provisions of the Palestinian Basic Law of 2003 and its amendments, as well as Palestine's obligations under the United Nations human rights treaties it has ratified, including the recommendations made by treaty bodies to the State of Palestine on several occasions.