90 Palestinians Demand Release of Arafat Critic

GAZA CITY —  A group of 90 Palestinian academics, lawmakers and politicians condemned Tuesday the “illegal” detention of an outspoken critic of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and demanded his immediate release.

The critic, Abdel-Sattar Qassim, a university lecturer from the West Bank city of Nablus, has been in a Palestinian prison since Feb. 18.

A month before his latest arrest, Qassim was released from jail after serving 40 days in prison for signing a leaflet in November accusing Arafat of sanctioning corruption in the Palestinian Authority.

“A university lecturer was extracted from his family and his students. His political freedom was assassinated without a charge and without a trial by the president of the Palestinian Authority while human rights groups and judiciary could do nothing,” the prominent signatories said in a statement.

“We express our protest and condemnation at these suppressive measures and call for the immediate release of Abdel-Sattar Qassim,” the signatories said.

The statement said that Qassim’s case was not an isolated one.

Khader Shkeirat, director of a human rights group, said 212 political detainees were languishing in jails without trial. He said the group had demanded the immediate release of Qassim, who was jailed for criticizing Arafat in an Arab newspaper abroad.

Palestinian Atty. Gen. Khaled Kidra said Qassim was detained “for carrying out . . . illegal actions.”