Abdul Rahman Beshtawi, a Palestinian detainee currently in a Preventive Security Service (PPS) prison in Nablus, continues his food and water strike for a fifth consecutive day. The PPS is under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Sources have suggested that PPS officers have attempted to force Bashtawi to end his strike, with measures including force-feeding.
The same sources report that Bishtawi has been transferred to an unknown destination.
Meanwhile, the Nablus Magistrate’s Court has extended his detention for an additional 10 days.
Ruba al-Shellah, Beshtawi’s wife, has reported that he was unable to stand in court, and that he informed the judge that he was being tortured. Beshtawi also alleged that he had not been charged with any crime.
PPS officers arrested Bashtawi on 6 March, after summoning him for an interview. He announced a water and hunger strike immediately after his arrest.
Bishtawi was previously arrested by the PPS at his workplace on 22 June 2021.
Before that, he was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces in 2016, whilst he was a student at al-Najah National University.
The PPS routinely arrests and detains Palestinian students and political activists in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian human rights groups report that the West Bank authorities have killed 2 civilians and made 592 political arrests since the start of 2021.
