Swedish peace activist arrested, witnesses say charge of assault is ‘baseless’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21 July 2010

Correction, 27 July 2010: Marcus’s surname was originally wrongly spelled ‘Rednanver’ but has now been corrected.

A Swedish peace activist was arrested in Hebron last night and stood trial today in Jerusalem.

Nursing student Marcus Regnander was accused of assaulting a soldier at a peaceful demonstration in Hebron 10 days ago. Witnesses say the charge is baseless and that he has been targeted by police arbitrarily. The judge ordered that he be detained and questioned for a further two days.

At approximately 11PM last night (20 July 2010) Regnander and another Swedish man were passing a checkpoint near Tel Rumeida when soldiers forcefully detained him, confiscated his passport and called police.

Regnander was not told where he had been taken but believed it was a police station near Hebron.

Officials at the Court of Peace in the Russian Compound, Jerusalem, heard his case at 12.30 this afternoon. Following the judge’s ruling he was led wasy in handcuffs and shackled at the ankles. He told friends who attended the hearing that he had not been fed since he was arrested.

He will be released on Friday 23rd at 12 noon unless the police investigation can produce new evidence.

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