Hamas gunmen in the Gaza Strip

PALESTINE: HAMAS COURT SENTENCES POLICEMAN TO DEATH FOR AIDING ISRAEL

October 29, 2009: a pro-Fatah policeman was sentenced to death by a Hamas military court in Gaza for collaborating with Israel, Hamas' interior ministry said.
Abdulkareem Shrair, 35, an Az-Zaitun resident, in Gaza, "was charged with treason - under articles (131/a), (140/b), (148) of the Palestinian Revolutionary Law (1979) – in violation of the Palestinian revolutionary law," the ministry said in a statement sent to the media, adding that his cooperation with Israel had led to assassination of Palestinian activists. The statement gave no more details on the alleged assassinations. The statement said that Shrair was a policeman enrolled with the former security services that report to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah party.
Since routing pro-Abbas forces and taking over Gaza in 2007, Hamas has staged tribunals for dozens of former security officers who were allegedly involved in attacks against Hamas supporters during Hamas-Fatah factional fighting. Shrair was also found guilty of manslaughter under articles (378/ a) and (88/a) of the same code.
The court said his punishment would be death by firing squad and can be petitioned.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights earlier noted that the 1979 Palestinian Penal Law "is the Revolutionary Penal Code of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). It is unconstitutional within the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) as it has not been presented to, nor approved by, the legislature."
The death sentences require an approval by Abbas who doesn't recognize rulings or decisions by Hamas' administration in Gaza. Abbas has been based in the West Bank since 2007.
Meanwhile, the Independent Commission for Human Rights (ICHR) has slammed the death sentence on Shrair, saying such a verdict was "a setback and dangerous harm against the human rights in life and fair trial." (Sources: Xinhua, 29/10/2009; maannews.net, 30/10/2009)