Ofer - Membership/activity in unauthorized association

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Observers: 
Nitza Aminov (reporting)
Feb-3-2020
|
Morning

Translation: Marganit W.

 

Ofer Military Court  3.2.20

Nitza Aminov

 

In 1989 the Bissan Center for Research and Development was established in Ramallah.

http://bisan.org/

 

Its mission was to promulgate culture, justice, equality and respect.

Its areas of activity were part of the creation of a civil society; it dealt with labor, gender, education etc.

Obviously, its existence was a thorn in the side of the Israeli authorities, and on 13.11.19  they arrested its director Ubai Alabudi at his home in Kafr Aqab.

 

At first he was put under administrative detention, but later the authorities changed their mind and decided to indict him.

 

Judge Major Lidor Drachman heard the indictment.

Atty. Mahmoud Hassan represents Al Aboudi, but today Atty. Bilal Naamna defended him.

 

There are two clauses in the indictment:

One, membership and activity in an unlawful organization.

Someone named Hajaj contacted him suggesting he join the Popular Front. He agreed and was tasked with recruiting operatives from Ramallah and Beir Zeit University. The indictment enumerates meetings he had with Popular Front activists.

 

The second charge is providing services for the organization.

 

The next hearing was set for 1.3.20.

 

Alabadi’s elderly parents and his wife came to the hearing. The parents looked dazed. They talked about the administrative detention, described the arrest and the waving a rifle at the five-year old son, and decried the trumped up allegations.

 

Since Alabudi’s arrest there have been several protests by scholars and research institutions around the world.

In Israel only Dr. Anat Matar protested and wrote about the case.