Cii Radio| Ayesha Ismail| 17 January 2017| 18 Rabi ul Aakir 1438
The leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Raed Salah, was released from prison this morning.
Sheikh Salah was released from Ramon Prison where he was serving a nine-month sentence on a charge of “incitement to commit violence”.
In late October 2015, Salah was accused “inciting violence and terrorism” in a sermon he delivered in a mosque in occupied East Jerusalem in 2007.
Salah allegedly called on Muslims to protect Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque from infiltrating Jewish settlers and members of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.
Shortly after Salah was convicted, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, banned his political party, shutting down its offices and community operations.
Politician and academic Hadash MK Yousef Jabareen told The Jerusalem Post that he sees this as an integral part of Israeli authorities targeting Arab leaders and Arab activists in recent years and restricting their political actions.
He says Shaikh Raed’s statements should be protected under freedom of speech.
