Palestinian Authority security services have been conducting a campaign of arrests targeting the northern West Bank city of Tubas and its district for several days, with the aim of arresting political activists, a Palestinian rights group said.
The Lawyers for Justice group confirmed that it has monitored 727 arrests since the beginning of this year, including dozens of political activists and citizens on the basis of their political affiliations and freedom of opinion and expression.
The campaign of arrests also targeted dozens of university students in connection with their student activities.
Lawyers for Justice documented dozens of cases of torture, including 14 cases in which the perpetrators confirmed that they had been tortured in interrogation reports before the prosecution or court.
The group called for the need to stop these unconstitutional campaigns and to release all those detained for the exercise of legitimate constitutional rights.
On August 18, the Palestinian Authority security services arrested Uday al-Shahruri, who is being chased by the Israeli occupation forces, after besieging his house for hours in the Fara'a area of the northern West Bank city of Tubas.
About a month ago, Palestinian factions expressed their rejection of political arrests in the West Bank, especially those targeting leaders, cadres and released prisoners.
Palestinian factions, led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Islamic Jihad, accuse the PA security services of pursuing and arresting cadres affiliated with them in the West Bank, in addition to pursuing Palestinian resistance fighters and those wanted by the occupation forces.