document · Article
Fatah-led Palestinian Authority behavioral civil-liberties / press-freedom record: HRW found the PA "routinely arrest[s] and torture[s] peaceful critics and opponents" in the West Bank, and held 221 Palestinians in administrative detention without charge or trial (Jan 2017–Aug 2018). HRW report "Two Authorities, One Way, Zero Dissent" (23 Oct 2018).
English 
Palestine 2018-10-23 Tier 2 — primary or translation
Party: Fatah
Original source: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/23/palestine-authorities-crush-dissent
Content
The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas authorities in Gaza routinely arrest and torture peaceful critics and opponents, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
Palestinian Authority security forces also held 221 Palestinians for various periods between January 2017 and August 2018 in administrative detention without charge or trial under a regional governor’s order, according to the Palestinian statutory watchdog Independent Commission for Human Rights. English translation
[Source is in English; this field holds editorial context, not a translation.] Behavioral conduct-axis record of Fatah on civil-liberties / press-freedom / democracy, in its capacity as the dominant party of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank (Mahmoud Abbas chairs Fatah and heads the PA). Human Rights Watch's 149-page report "Two Authorities, One Way, Zero Dissent," based on two years of research and 147 witness interviews, found that the Fatah-led PA relies on broad laws criminalizing insulting "higher authorities" or "harming the revolutionary unity" to detain peaceful critics — journalists, bloggers, students, and demonstrators — often releasing them without charge while leaving charges outstanding. HRW deputy program director Tom Porteous said the Palestinian authorities "have developed parallel police states" and that officials' calls to safeguard Palestinian rights "ring hollow as they crush dissent." The PA security agencies HRW identified as implicated include the Intelligence Services, Preventive Security, and the Joint Security Committee. (The same report separately documents parallel abuses by Hamas in Gaza.) [Axes: civil-liberties (behavioral), press-freedom, democracy.]
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In-text
(Fatah, 2018) Fatah. (2018). Fatah-led Palestinian Authority behavioral civil-liberties / press-freedom record: HRW found the PA "routinely arrest[s] and torture[s] peaceful critics and opponents" in the West Bank, and held 221 Palestinians in administrative detention without charge or trial (Jan 2017–Aug 2018). HRW report "Two Authorities, One Way, Zero Dissent" (23 Oct 2018).. hrw.org. Retrieved June 22, 2026, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/23/palestine-authorities-crush-dissent
Fatah. 2018. "Fatah-led Palestinian Authority behavioral civil-liberties / press-freedom record: HRW found the PA "routinely arrest[s] and torture[s] peaceful critics and opponents" in the West Bank, and held 221 Palestinians in administrative detention without charge or trial (Jan 2017–Aug 2018). HRW report "Two Authorities, One Way, Zero Dissent" (23 Oct 2018).." hrw.org. Accessed June 22, 2026. https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/23/palestine-authorities-crush-dissent.
@misc{doc-document-bdbcaab3-d3df-4e6d-ac45-19a5907e02c3,
author = {{Fatah}},
title = {Fatah-led Palestinian Authority behavioral civil-liberties / press-freedom record: HRW found the PA "routinely arrest[s] and torture[s] peaceful critics and opponents" in the West Bank, and held 221 Palestinians in administrative detention without charge or trial (Jan 2017–Aug 2018). HRW report "Two Authorities, One Way, Zero Dissent" (23 Oct 2018).},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-10-23},
howpublished = {Online; hosted at hrw.org},
url = {https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/23/palestine-authorities-crush-dissent},
urldate = {2026-06-22},
note = {Retrieved via Tayyar at https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/documents/bdbcaab3-d3df-4e6d-ac45-19a5907e02c3},
} Retrieved via Tayyar: https://tarekgara.com/tayyar/documents/bdbcaab3-d3df-4e6d-ac45-19a5907e02c3 on June 22, 2026. Tayyar is a research host for primary sources, not the author of this document.