Bar association official says Palestinian military justice system needs fundamental reform

SadaNews reports here on a call for reform the Palestinian security forces' military justice system by Amjad Al-Shalla, Secretary General of the Palestinian Bar Association. Excerpt:

The main cornerstone for the stability of justice, its integrity and the application of the principle of transparency is the principle of independence, and therefore, the series of legal observations that we receive almost daily concerning the judicial organ of the Palestinian security forces can no longer be ignored, with all due respect.

Within the judicial body of the security forces, there are excellent judicial skills that are recognized and have decision-making power. On the other hand, to assert that decisions of the judicial bodies and/or the military public prosecutor's office must ultimately be submitted to the decision and authority of the president of the military judicial authority is an attack on and a destruction of all forms of independence, and it deprives the courts, bodies, and military public prosecutor's offices of their judicial character.