Tuesday, Apr 25, 2017

Ramallah: Human rights groups are calling on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to withdraw a travel ban on Palestinians involved in minor crimes, claiming the new law is unconstitutional.

A presidential decree has given the go-ahead to impose a six-month travel ban on Palestinians wanted for misdemeanours, especially issuing of dud cheques, or minor crimes whose penalty does not exceed six months’ imprisonment. Under the new law, Public Prosecution can prevent such Palestinians from travelling for six months which can be extended. Appeals against the decision can be lodged with the Palestinian Appeals Court.

However, 12 Palestinian legal and human rights organisations on Monday urged President Abbas to rescind the travel ban, which they condemned as unconstitutional.

In a letter to Abbas, the organisations said the restriction on freedom of movement violated Palestinian Basic Law and international human rights conventions that Palestine had agreed to without reservation.

A senior official from the Presidential Palace (Mukata’a) told Gulf News that the new law would enable Palestinian law enforcement to target the increasing number of cases reported in the Palestinian territories, especially cases of dud cheques involving billions of shekels. According to the Palestinian Monetary Authority, 421,333 cheques bounced in 2016.

The presidential official said hundreds of Palestinians had taken the Allenby Crossing to Jordan to flee the consequences of issuing bad cheques, which could easily destroy the Palestinian economy.

Until now, Palestinian courts have issued only limited travel ban orders relating to corruption cases. The organisations say the new law authorises travel ban orders in the case of more than 90 per cent of crimes and misdemeanours committed in Palestine annually.

By Nasouh Nazzal Correspondent

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