The Palestinian Authority on Saturday deployed security forces to confront protesters who took to the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank after one of PA President Mahmoud Abbas's biggest critics died in custody.
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Nizar Banat had been arrested by PA forces who broke into a relative's house where he was staying in the early hours of Thursday and hit him repeatedly with a metal rod before arresting him, according to Banat's family.
Banat's death has sparked three days of protests in the West Bank and calls from the United States, the European Union and the United Nations for an inquiry.
The protesters held Palestinian flags and posters of Banat, and called on Abbas to quit. "The people want to overthrow the regime," they chanted along with, "step down, Abbas!"
As the protesters began to march to Abbas' office compound, a group of his supporters blocked the rally, prompting an exchange of stone-throwing between the two sides. Palestinian security forces in riot gear fired tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters and attacked journalists, according to witnesses. There were no official figures on how many people were arrested or injured.
Later, Abbas' supporters gathered in a counter-rally, with many chanting: "People want Abbas as president."
The officers, some wearing riot gear, others in plain clothes, also fired tear gas
The spokesman for the PA security services, Talal Dweikat, said the committee investigating Banat's death had begun its work and urged people to wait for the results. He did not comment on Saturday's violence.
The Palestinian journalists' union condemned attacks by security forces against journalists covering the protest.
"The targeting of journalists by security men is a new, grave development in the onslaught on freedom of expression and the media," the union said in a statement.
Video: Reuters
Banat, 43, was a social activist who had accused Abbas' PA of corruption, including over a short-lived COVID-19 vaccine exchange with Israel this month and Abbas' postponement of a long-delayed election in May.
He had called on Western nations to cut off aid to the PA because of its authoritarianism and human rights violations. Earlier this week, another prominent activist was detained by the PA and held overnight after criticizing it on Facebook.
Banat had registered as a parliamentary candidate for that contest.
The crowd marched through streets waving Palestinian flags and pictures of Banat and calling for an end to Abbas' 16-year rule.
"We want a total political reform that will truly reflect the interests of the people," said protester Esmat Mansour.
Human rights groups say Abbas regularly arrests critics. A Human Rights Watch official said Banat's arrest was "no anomaly."
Abbas and the PA reject accusations they are corrupt and that they arrest people for their political views.
The EU delegation to the PA tweeted that it was "shocked and saddened" by Banat's death and called for a "full, independent, and transparent investigation." The UN's Mideast envoy, Tor Wennesland, said the "perpetrators must be brought to justice."
The US State Department echoed those calls. In a statement, it expressed "serious concerns about Palestinian Authority restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression by Palestinians and harassment of civil society activists and organizations."
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