It was a sight that shocked the world — the corpse of Ribhi Badawi being dragged through the streets of Gaza City Tuesday by a motorcycle as Hamas gunmen fired into the air.
BY MATTHEW KALMAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2012
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2012
REUTERS
Palestinian gunmen ride a motorcycle as they drag the body of a man, who was suspected of working for Israel, in Gaza City.It was a sight that shocked the world — the corpse of Ribhi Badawi being dragged through the streets of Gaza City Tuesday by a motorcycle as Hamas gunmen fired into the air.
His crime? Collaborating with Israel to pinpoint Hamas targets.
But the charge wasn’t true, the militant’s grieving widow told The News.
Actually, Badawi, 37, had spent the last four years in a Hamas prison under armed guard. He was tortured for seven months into confessing that he was working for Israel.
“They burned (him) and broke his jaw and teeth,” said his widow, Kholoud Badawi. “He was hanged for 45 days by his arms and legs to make him confess. He confessed because of the torture.
“He told me every detail of what had happened to him and he gave me a diary he was writing,” she added.
Ribhi Badawi was no innocent, having belonged to the Jaljalat Brigades, an Islamic group that wanted the Palestinians ruled by strict religious law.
But he was sentenced to death in a show trial. His family appealed and asked that the sentence be reduced to 10 years in prison, and the court was due to rule the day he was executed.
“We hoped they would accept our appeal because they had no evidence — just his supposed confession,” she said.
As Kholoud and her five young children accepted the condolences of neighbors and friends in their tiny home in the poverty-stricken Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, friends and neighbors said Badawi was a kind, helpful man who made a living as a herbalist.
They said he once broke down a wall to save an elderly, disabled neighbor whose house was hit in an Israeli airstrike.
Badawi’s father, Ahmed, said his son hated the Israelis more than Hamas.
“My son could never have been an informer,” he said. “They say he got money from the Israelis. Look at his house. This is the house of a poor man. He helped everyone. Everybody liked him. I bless him.”
Hamas officials declined to comment. They referred reporters to comments last week by a Hamas leader who said such executions must not happen again.
But the charge wasn’t true, the militant’s grieving widow told The News.
Actually, Badawi, 37, had spent the last four years in a Hamas prison under armed guard. He was tortured for seven months into confessing that he was working for Israel.
“They burned (him) and broke his jaw and teeth,” said his widow, Kholoud Badawi. “He was hanged for 45 days by his arms and legs to make him confess. He confessed because of the torture.
“He told me every detail of what had happened to him and he gave me a diary he was writing,” she added.
Ribhi Badawi was no innocent, having belonged to the Jaljalat Brigades, an Islamic group that wanted the Palestinians ruled by strict religious law.
But he was sentenced to death in a show trial. His family appealed and asked that the sentence be reduced to 10 years in prison, and the court was due to rule the day he was executed.
“We hoped they would accept our appeal because they had no evidence — just his supposed confession,” she said.
As Kholoud and her five young children accepted the condolences of neighbors and friends in their tiny home in the poverty-stricken Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, friends and neighbors said Badawi was a kind, helpful man who made a living as a herbalist.
They said he once broke down a wall to save an elderly, disabled neighbor whose house was hit in an Israeli airstrike.
Badawi’s father, Ahmed, said his son hated the Israelis more than Hamas.
“My son could never have been an informer,” he said. “They say he got money from the Israelis. Look at his house. This is the house of a poor man. He helped everyone. Everybody liked him. I bless him.”
Hamas officials declined to comment. They referred reporters to comments last week by a Hamas leader who said such executions must not happen again.
No comments:
Post a Comment