News / Palestine

Israel sentences Palestinian lawmaker to 15 months in prison

Monday, 07 December 2015 1:50 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 07 December 2015 1:50 PM ]

Khalida Jarrar (R), a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), gestures upon her arrival for a court session near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on August 10, 2015.

An Israeli military court has sentenced Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar to 15 months in prison.

The Ofer military court near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah said on Monday that Jarrar, who is a prominent political figure and activist, received her sentence a day earlier.

"Jarrar was sentenced to 15 months on the charges she was arrested for a few months ago, including incitement of terrorism," an army spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.

Jarrar, a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was abducted in April on charges of violating a travel ban and also encouraging Palestinians to carry out attacks against Israel.

Palestinian Minister for Prisoner Affairs Issa Qaraqe said the trial was “arbitrary” and not legally justified, adding, "this is a political arrest. The charges against her are fabricated and ridiculous... there are no security reasons as claimed by the Israeli authorities."

He also condemned what he said was a "campaign" to prosecute Palestinian parliamentarians.

Palestinian protesters hold portraits of Khalida Jarrar, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), during a protest against her arrest in Ramallah on August 11, 2015. (AFP photo)

Meanwhile, the Palestinian prisoner rights group Addameer said the Israeli court also fined Jarrar 10,000 shekels (USD 2,600) and gave her a five-year suspended sentence.

Palestinian lawmakers have been targeted since the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, scored a landslide victory in Palestinian elections in 2006.

In May, the Ofer court also sentenced Abdul Aziz Duwaik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), to one year in prison on charges of delivering a speech at a pro-resistance celebration three years ago.

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