The Israeli magistrate court in Haifa on Tuesday extended once again the detention of Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib head of the Freedoms Committee at the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab citizens of Israel at the pretext of giving some legal procedures for his trial more time.
Sheikh Khatib’s defense team condemned the court decision as a “judicial precedent.”
“We have witnessed a legal precedent. We were used to seeing people get released in such cases and at worst courts tend to impose strict release conditions” his lawyer Omar Khamaiseh told journalists following the court session that was held today for Khatib.
“We were surprised by the judge issuing a politicized decision today although the trial has been political since the beginning” Khamaiseh said.
“Sheikh Kamal al-Khatib is in very high spirits and not afraid of such verdict. We expected such malicious step from the judge” he added.
The lawyer affirmed that the defense team would file an appeal with the Israeli district court against the decision.
The Israeli magistrate court in Haifa already extended the detention of Sheikh Khatib last month after it received an indictment file from the prosecutor against him.
The indictment includes claims accusing him of inciting to violence supporting violent acts and being affiliated with a banned group (the Islamic Movement).
