RAMALLAH, February 1 (JMCC) - The United States-based group Human Rights Watch has slammed the
Palestinian Authority for breaking up a small demonstration planned in support of Egyptians Sunday.
The rally, to be held in front of the Egyptian representative office in
Ramallah, was organized through Facebook. Some 50 demonstrators showed up only to be herded away by Palestinian security forces,
reports AFP.
Demonstrators who spoke to HRW also said that security officials had called in one of the organisers of the protest for questioning three times in the last 24 hours and told him to cancel the event because 'there were orders that no event related to Tunisia or Egypt was allowed at this time'.
Several students who had accepted the Facebook invitation to join the rally told AFP they had received a message saying the event was cancelled for unknown reasons.
Human Rights Watch urged the Palestinian Authority to stop security forces' arbitrary interference with peaceful demonstrations.