An Israeli military appeals court Monday overturned the conviction of a Palestinian lawmaker and ordered his immediate release, said Palestinian Prisoners Club, a prisoners' support group, DPA reported.
Three years ago, Jamal Tirawi was sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of membership in a militant organization. Tirawi, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council from President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, was found to be innocent, following an appeal and after serving six years in prison since the time of his arrest.
Tirawi, 47, from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, north of the West Bank, was arrested in 2007 and sentenced for membership in Fatah's military wing, the al-Aqsa Brigades. Qaddoura Faris, head of the Prisoners Club, said the court ruling six years after Tirawi's arrest was proof that "the arrests against our people are arbitrary and based on unfounded evidence and lies."