Family: Palestinian Authority covering up critic's death

The family of a political activist who died in the custody of Palestinian security forces last month has accused the Palestinian Authority of trying to cover up his death

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The family of a political activist who died in the custody of Palestinian security forces last month on Saturday accused the Palestinian Authority of trying to cover up his death. Relatives of Nazir Banat said they still have not received a document with an official cause of death and said the Palestinian Authority has made efforts to settle the matter out of court. “The behavior of the Palestinian Authority until this moment is criminal behavior, covering up a crime,’’ Ghassan Banat, Nazir’s brother, told reporters. Nazir Banat was an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority who called on Western nations to stop providing aid to the PA due to human rights violations and growing authoritarianism.