(Haifa, Israel) Today, Sunday 16 May 2010, the Petah Tikvah Magistrate Court held a hearings on requests by the General Security Services (GSS or Shabak) to extend the detention of Arab political activist Dr. Omar Saeed, who also runs a leading company in natural medicine.

In the case of Dr. Saeed, the GSS asked for an extension of detention for ten days. The court extended the detention until Thursday 20 May 2010, despite the objection of Dr. Saeed's attorneis. The hearing took place behind close doors; the public was barred from the hearing. 
The state claims that Mr. Makhoul and Dr. Saeed have been detained for security reasons. Mr. Makhoul has been held in incommunicado detention since his arrest on Thursday 6 May, which was extended by the court for an additional 24 hours.

Sixteen days after his arrest on 24 April 2010, during which time he was subjected to continuous interrogation and allowed a very limited amount of sleep, the GSS permitted Dr. Saeed to meet with his lawyers. As noted in Adalah’s press release dated 10 May 2010, Dr. Saeed emphasized that he stated during all of his investigation that he has never been recruited to or worked for any organization, defined as a terrorist organization by the State of Israel, and he has never had any contact with such organization. 

Both Ameer Makhoul and Dr. Omar Saeed are represented by the defense team of Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein, and Adalah Attorneys Orna Kohn and Hassan Jabareen.

For more information on the cases, see: http://www.adalah.org/eng/index.php