Moussa forms an official committee to follow up Barghouthi case

The secretary general of the Arab League (AL) Amr Moussa on Tuesday decided to form an official committee stemmed from the Arab League in order to follow up the detention issue of member of the Palestinian legislative council Marwan Barghouthi and all Palestinian detainees in the Israeli jails. This decision, however, was taken in coincidence with the launching of an international legal campaign in Cairo in defense of the Palestinian prisoners.

Moussa took the decision to form the committee during his meeting on Tuesday at the headquarters of the AL in Cairo o Tuesday Barghouthi's lawyer, Khuder Shuqierat and his wife lawyer Fadwa Barghouthi.

Shuqeirat said that the decision comes in the "framework of Arab and international efforts to release Barghouthi" adding Moussa was briefed on "the political dimensions of Barghouthi s trial and its consequences."

Meantime, a team composed of 150 lawyers from nine countries started two- day meetings in Cairo with the aim to draw a strategy to defend thousands of Palestinian detainees, stressing that their detention was made by Israel illegally. Invited to the Cairo meeting were the Arab bar association and the international society for democratic lawyers. It is attended by lawyers from the US, Belgium, India, Italy, Pakistan and several Arab states.