Tamimi was recognized as a human rights defender by the European Union and pronounced a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
The reading of the verdict was attended by a dozen diplomats, including the British, Spanish, Dutch, Slovenian and Cypriot Consul Generals, as well as the representative of the European Union and diplomats from Germany, Sweden, Ireland the United States and the United Nations, according to a statement by the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee
The court had also sentenced Tamimi to 17 months suspended sentence, which will be activated in the event that he is convicted of committing incitement, solicitation to throw stones, stone-throwing, accessory to stone-throwing, attempted stone-throwing or actions against public order within the next five years.
If convicted of having participated or organized unpermitted marches within the next two years, a suspended sentence of 2 months will be added to his punishment.
Tamimi was arrested in March 2011, indicted on protest-organizing related charges, and has spent 13 months in jail before he was granted bail last month. He was found guilty of organizing and participating in illegal marches as well as of solicitation to throw stones on May 20, but was acquitted of the more serious charge of incitement.
The bulk of the indictment against Tamimi was based on the testimonies of three youth from the village, aged 15, 19, and most heavily on that of a 14 year-old. However, the conviction was based on the testimony of the 15-year-old who was told by his interrogators to implicate Tamimi in order to get a more lenient treatment by the court.
The village of Nabi Saleh has been holding weekly protests against Israeli takeover of water spring and land for the benefit of nearby illegal Jewish settlements.
M.S.
