Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar sentenced to six months in jail without trial

Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar sentenced to six months in jail without trial
A member of the Palestinian Legislative Council has been sentenced to six months administrative detention after being arrested for ties to the PFLP.
2 min read
13 July, 2017
Khalida Jarrar was arrested by Israeli authorities on July 2 [AFP]



Palestinian politician and rights activist Khalida Jarrar was sentenced on Wednesday to six months in prison in administrative detention.

The ruling followed the Palestinian Legisative Council member's arrest a the beginning of July in a pre-dawn raid by Israeli forces in Ramallah.

Jarrar's administrative detention, which does not require her to be put on trial or charged with an offence, is expected to be affirmed at a court hearing on 17 July.

"The arrest of Khalida Jarrar constitutes an attack against Palestinian political leaders and Palestinian civil society as a whole," said Palestinian prisoner rights group Addameer - which Jarrar is the vice-chairperson of the board of directors - in a statement following her recent arrest.

"It also constitutes one arrest in the context of continuous arrest campaigns against Palestinians."

Jarrar was previously detained for 15 months after Israel accused her of inciting violence and charged her with offences relating to her association with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - proscribed as a terrorist group by Israel.

She was later released from prison in June 2016. 

Following her most recent arrest on 2 July, Israel's army said that her detention was related to her activities within the PFLP.

Under administrative detention rules, Israeli authorities are able to indefinitely extend a detainee's sentence at will.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies, at least nine of 13 detained Palestinian politicians are being held under administrative detention without charge.