The Meezaan Organization for Human Rights, which represents Sheikh Kamal Khatib alongside the Adalah Legal Center, has called for the annulment of the conviction in Sheikh Khatib’s case, arguing that the decision was issued by a judge who had already retired from the judiciary and therefore lacked the legal authority to issue it.
The motion was submitted during a hearing held on Wednesday (October 15, 2025) at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court, as part of an ongoing trial against Sheikh Khatib that began in 2021 on charges of “incitement” during the Dignity Uprising (May 2021).
Attorney Omar Khamaisi, Director of Meezaan Organization for Human Rights in Nazareth, stated after the hearing that the defense team had filed a detailed motion to the court requesting the cancellation of both the indictment and the conviction, explaining that “the decision was issued by a retired judge, which renders it legally void”.
He added: “During the hearing, we presented documents and evidence supporting our legal arguments, demonstrating that what occurred cannot be dismissed as a mere technical error, as claimed by the prosecution. It constitutes a fundamental violation of proper legal procedure”.
Khamaisi emphasized that Sheikh Khatib “has been subjected to continuous political persecution for four years,” adding that “the decisions in this case appear to be driven more by political motives than by legal reasoning.” He noted that the court’s decision regarding the defense motion will be issued at a later stage.
Following the session, Sheikh Kamal Khatib expressed his gratitude to those who attended the hearing in solidarity and to his legal team for their ongoing commitment to the case. He said: “This case began on May 14, 2021, at the height of the assaults on Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan. Going to Al-Aqsa and observing the Night of Power is our natural right and religious duty. The real crime is the assaults, incursions, and mass arrests that took place at that time”.
He continued: “Four years of persecution have not changed my stance in the slightest. I take pride in every word I said and every position I took in defense of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Our right is a firm, eternal one that does not expire, and Al-Aqsa belongs solely to us—no oppressor can dispute even a grain of its soil”.
Sheikh Khatib concluded: “If it is my fate to be imprisoned, like over 10,500 Palestinians who have been jailed for their beliefs and positions, I will consider it an honor. As long as I carry the cause of my people, my faith, and my homeland, I shall live—and, God willing, die—on that path”.
