A Jerusalem man who had been detained for a year after being arrested on suspicion of violating a court order to remain at home has been freed from police custody, a senior official said Wednesday.
The Jerusalem Municipality Public Security Department announced that Muhammad Abu Aisha was released from police detention on Wednesday evening following an appeal by the public security minister, Gilad Erdan.
Abu Aisha, a 40-year-old Palestinian resident of Ramallah, was arrested on July 23, 2017.
He was charged with “disobeying the court order” for violating the court’s order to stay at home after he and three other men were summoned to court for an inspection on July 29.
The court ruled that a warrant to detain Abu Aisa should be issued, but he was not present at the time of the summons.
He had been summoned on July 21 and arrested without a warrant on July 25.
The order to detain him was issued on July 30.
“This is a clear violation of the court ruling,” Erdan said in a statement.
“The detention of Muhammad Abu Akwa Abu Aishas and the three other people is an unjustifiable and discriminatory action, and the municipality is seeking justice in accordance with the law.”
Aisha’s lawyer, Saed Abu Kher, told the Ma’an news agency that the public health department is preparing a complaint with the Israeli attorney general.
The ministry’s spokesperson said that the municipality would appeal the decision to the attorney general, who is in charge of the matter.
The ministry said that it will present its position to the court in the coming days.
In September, a court ordered that Abu Aisyas and three others be arrested for breaching the injunction, but the court did not impose any fines.
The case sparked protests from Palestinians who saw the arrest as arbitrary and disproportionate.
The attorney general’s office said the municipality’s decision to release Abu Aissas without charging him violated the court decision, which said that Abu Akwasa and the other men who were summoned must be arrested “without delay.”
The court ruled in August that the four people should be released after two years of house arrest.