Case History: Lema Nazeeh
On 23 February 2015, human rights defender Ms Lema Nazeeh was arrested in Al Eizariya in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, by the Israeli occupation forces. She was transferred to Maale Adomim Police station and accused of "attacking and disturbing soldiers" and "entering a military area". The human rights defender was released on bail of 1000 Israeli Shekel (approximately €223) on the same day, after the charges against her were formalised by the Public Prosecutor.
Lema Nazeeh is a deputy chairman of the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (PSCC), which operates in Occupied Palestinian Territories. She is well-known political activist engaged in popular resistance to Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. She specialises in detainees rights, litigation related to land entitlement as well as coordination of media campaigns. Lema and other leaders of popular resistance are constantly threatened by Israeli authorities that carry out political arrests of Palestinian activists on charges of preparing or participating in terrorist attacks. The number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails reached 4700 people in 2013, out of which 169 were held in prison without trial or any charges, following administrative detention procedure. Lema was arrested four times in the last three years, most recently during peaceful protest against Israel's plan to confiscate lands of al-Jahalin Bedouin tribe on the east of Jerusalem. Israeli army surrounded and demolished with bulldozers 'Jerusalem Gate' tent village installed by Palestinian protesters, forcing people away and beating some of them, including Lema.
On 23 February 2015, human rights defender Ms Lema Nazeeh was arrested in Al Eizariya in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, by the Israeli occupation forces. She was transferred to Maale Adomim Police station and accused of "attacking and disturbing soldiers" and "entering a military area". The human rights defender was released on bail of 1000 Israeli Shekel (approximately €223) on the same day, after the charges against her were formalised by the Public Prosecutor.
Lema Nazeeh's trial will commence on 21 April 2015. The human rights defender was arrested on 23 February 2015 when the Israeli occupation forces attacked what has become known as "Jerusalem Gate" – a protest camp near Abu Dis in the West Bank. They arrested Lema Nazeeh after she allegedly attempted to prevent an Israeli truck from entering the camp.
Reportedly, at least 150 protesters had assembled at the Jerusalem Gate protest camp to resist the seizure of Palestinian land that Israel plans to expropriate in order to make way for Bedouin communities. Israeli military allegedly used tear gas, pepper spray, stun grenades, and rubber-coated steel bullets against demonstrators, and demolished the camp several times in two weeks.
