Israeli Court Sentences Two Brothers to Five Years in Prison

ofer_arrest_westbank_activestills — Soldiers arrest a Palestinian activist during a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in front of Ofer Prison. (Photo: Oren Ziv, Activestills.org, file)

An Israeli military court at Israel’s Ofer detention center in the central occupied West Bank sentenced two Palestinian brothers from the village of Surif in the southern Hebron district to five years in prison for charges related to activities “against Israel.”

The family told Ma’an on Tuesday that Rafi Jibril Abu Fara, 30, and his 22-year-old brother Alaa were both sentenced to five years in prison and seven years of probation for activities centered on “resisting Israel,” but did not mention the exact charges the brothers faced.

In addition, the family has been ordered to pay a 8,000 shekel fine ($2,240) for Rafi and 2,000 shekels for Alaa ($560).

Israeli court sentences Palestinian brothers from Hebron to 5 years in prison https://t.co/PY76Wcd8Dx pic.twitter.com/ywJD6kR3LQ

— Ma'an News Agency (@MaanNewsAgency) July 11, 2017

According to the family, the brothers were detained in June last year from their home in Surif during an Israeli military raid.

According to prisoners’ rights group Addameer, 6,200 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons as of May, including 490 who have been held without charge or trial.

(Maan, PC, Social Media)