The Palestinian Police informed the family of Sami Khattab that the body of their son was located in an open area, 700 meters away from the Palestine International University, 200 meters away from the Coastal Road south of Gaza City. The Al Mezan Center For Human Rights investigated the incident and demanded an official probe.According to a preliminary investigation carried out by the center, the Palestinian police phoned the parents of Khattab, 35, on the morning of Tuesday 15 April 2008, informing them that their son’s body was found near the Coastal Road. Khattab is a father of six children.
Information gathered by the Center revealed that on the evening of Sunday April 13, three vehicles parked near the clothing shop owned by Khattab, and three residents including a masked person abducted him and sped away.
The parents of Khattab phoned the Al Mezan Center and informed it of the abduction, the center in turn phoned the security forces in order to know if Khattab was in their custody but the security agencies denied any knowledge of the incident.
After the body of Khattab was located, delegates of the Al Mezan Center went to the morgue to observe the body and noted clear marks of torture.
His skin was blue, marks of punches and kicks were apparent on his back, hands, legs and his forehead. Also, marks indicating that his hands and legs were bound were also apparent on the body.
The Center stated that this crime is a very serious deterioration of the situation in Gaza, and publically denounced abduction, torture and murder of Khattab.
The Center also demanded that the Hamas-led government in Gaza protect the residents and their property and to open a probe into the crime in order to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators.
The Al Mezan Center also stressed that justice and security require serious acts against the ongoing incidents of chaos and insecurity which led to the death of several residents.
The Center added that the government must probe these attacks and publically announce the results. ‘Failure to achieve justice, failure to arrest and prosecute the attackers is a failure to the justice and law system,’ the Al Mezan Center added.
