Hunger Strike, Arrest by PA of 10 Activists – 6 July 2021 Daily Press Briefing – (Excerpts)

6 JULY 2021

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

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Questions and Answers

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Question:  Thank you.  My second question, Ghandanfar Abu Atwan is a Palestinian and… who had been in detention, administrative detention, since October 2020.  He enters today his sixty-third day of hunger strike.  His health is deteriorating, and he had not been brought to trial or been released.  So, do you have any comment on that?

Spokesman:  I will check on that case.

Question:  My last question: Yesterday, the Palestinian Authority arrested at least 10 activists, including human rights activists, journalists, released prisoners.  And they brutalised them in detention, as well.  So, I… are you following… I didn’t see any tweet from Mr. [Tor] Wennesland about this brutality the PA [Palestinian Authority] using against Palestinian activists.

Spokesman:  Let me check what Mr. Wennesland may have said, but I can tell you that we stand for the rule of law and that people… for the right of human rights activists and journalists to express their views freely without any fear of harassment or worse.

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For information media. Not an official record.