Human rights defender Jonathan Pollak detained
On 20 February 2020, Jonathan Pollak was released after the Attorney General decided to stay the proceedings against him. This effectively means that the case against the anti-occupation activist is closed.
On 6 January 2020, human rights defender Jonathan Pollak was arrested on charges of assaulting soldiers and Border Police officers during peaceful protests in the West Bank. He is currently detained in Abu Kabir Detention Center in Tel Aviv.
Jonathan Pollak is an anti-occupation activist, human rights defender and journalist at Haaretz newspaper. He co-founded the Anarchists Against the Wall, a group that opposes the construction of the Israeli Gaza Strip and West Bank barriers. Jonathan Pollak regularly participates in the weekly anti-wall demonstrations in the Palestinian villages of Bil’in and Na’alin.
On 20 February 2020, Jonathan Pollak was released after the Attorney General decided to stay the proceedings against him. This effectively means that the case against the anti-occupation activist is closed. Hours after his release, the Attorney General ordered a criminal investigation against Jonathan Pollak for incitement to terror and violence. The investigation concerns an article where he explained why he had not attended the court hearings of his case.
Jonathan Pollack had been arrested on 6 January 2020, after his refusal to appear in court in relation to a criminal complaint filed against him by the far-right group ‘Ad Kan’, accusing him of attacking soldiers and Border Police officers during peaceful demonstrations in Palestinian villages in the West Bank.
On 6 January 2020, human rights defender Jonathan Pollak was arrested on charges of assaulting soldiers and Border Police officers during peaceful protests in the West Bank. He is currently detained in Abu Kabir Detention Center in Tel Aviv.
Jonathan Pollak is an anti-occupation activist, human rights defender and journalist at Haaretz newspaper. He co-founded the Anarchists Against the Wall, a group that opposes the construction of the Israeli Gaza Strip and West Bank barriers. Jonathan Pollak regularly participates in the weekly anti-wall demonstrations in the Palestinian villages of Bil’in and Na’alin.
On 6 January 2020, plain-clothed police officers arrested Jonathan Pollak at the Haaretz newspaper office in Tel Aviv. He is currently detained in Abu Kabir Detention Center in Tel Aviv. The human rights defender suffers from a medical condition requiring a special diet, which he has been denied while in detention. He has also been refused family visits.
Jonathan Pollak refused to pay the NIS 500 (approximately 130 euros) bail set by a Tel Aviv judge on 6 January. On the next day, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ruled that he would remain in jail.
The arrest of the human rights defender comes after his refusal to appear in court in relation to a criminal complaint filed against him by the far-right group ‘Ad Kan’, accusing him of attacking soldiers and Border Police officers during peaceful demonstrations in Palestinian villages in the West Bank. Jonathan Pollak has refused to recognise the legitimacy of this complaint as cases concerning assaults against public servants, including soldiers, can only be filed by the authorities themselves. His refusal to appear in court is also in protest against the systematic denial of due process rights, which are enjoyed by Israeli citizens, to Palestinian detainees in the West Bank.
Jonathan Pollak has frequently been subjected to judicial harassment by the Israeli authorities. In 2011, he was sentenced to 3 months’ imprisonment after participating in peaceful anti-war demonstrations.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned about the detention of and charges against human rights defender Jonathan Pollak, as it believes that he is being targeted solely as a result of his human rights activities and his exercise of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
