Hamas torturing and killing Fatah supporters
DEIR AL-BALAH: Adham Mustafa's bullet-riddled and mutilated body, filmed in a morgue two days after he was taken alive by Hamas, belied the Islamic militant group's promises not to harm its Fatah rivals. So did Tarek Asfour's legs, punctured with marks from nails Hamas gunmen banged into him. Hamas declared a general amnesty for members of the vanquished Fatah movement of moderate President Mahmoud Abbas after sweeping to power in the Gaza Strip on June 15, following a week of fighting. But since then, at least nine Fatah loyalists have been killed, according to Mezan, an independent Gaza-based human rights group, which posted the names of the dead on its website.
At least 20 others have been arrested, some of them beaten, with the fate of those seized often left in the hands of Hamas field commanders. The ongoing vendetta has raised concerns that Hamas is gradually imposing authoritarian rule by silencing opponents. Hamas says it restored calm to chaotic Gaza, but human rights groups wonder at what price. "Either there's law, or there's no law," said Issam Younis, the head of Mezan. However, others note that Hamas couldn't observe due process even if it wanted to because Gaza's legal system is in limbo. Abbas has barred judges, prosecutors and police from cooperating with Gaza's new rulers. Those ignoring the ban aren't paid.
Hamas also has complained of a campaign against it in the West Bank, where it says security forces and Fatah gunmen have seized 336 Hamas supporters in the past month and beat some of them in detention. One Hamas activist was killed and one critically wounded in a Fatah attack. In Gaza, Hamas insists the amnesty is generally holding, but acknowledges there are exceptions. Hamas' Executive Force, which is now policing Gaza, has a secret list with the names of Fatah loyalists marked for death for alleged involvement in the slaying of Hamas activists, Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for the militia, said after fighting ended last month.
He said they would not be granted trials if caught. Another Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, said the group is now reviewing those cases, and they would not necessarily be executed. Asked about the post-amnesty killings, he said it took time for the pardon pledge to trickle down to local commanders. "The decision of a general amnesty needed several days to be implemented, and now it's very clear that there is complete quiet and commitment of Hamas members to this decision," he said.
Among those killed after the amnesty was Adham Mustafa, 19, a pro-Fatah security official who was captured by Hamas on the last day of fighting. A forensics report from Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said Mustafa was killed in the evening of June 15, hours after the amnesty was announced. The report said he was shot at least seven times. A homemade video of Mustafa's corpse also showed his left eye was missing, as well as a large chunk of flesh under his right arm. His family kept in contact with Hamas while Mustafa was in custody and was assured he would be freed. Instead, his relatives found his body at the morgue two days after his capture. Abu Zuhri declined comment on the incident.
On the day the amnesty was announced, Fatah fighter Salama Barbakh tried to make a run for Egypt. At the border, he was grabbed by Hamas gunmen, shot in the legs and taken back to his hometown of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. He was brought to the house of Wasfi Shahwan, a Hamas supporter whom Barbakh had allegedly killed more than a year ago. At the house, Barbakh was killed in a hail of bullets, and his body was then stabbed and stomped on. Hamas claimed responsibility.
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