ONE of the Palestinian co-directors of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land has been "handcuffed and blindfolded all night in an army base while two soldiers beat him up on the floor," his lawyer has said.
Hamdan Ballal, who won the Oscar for best documentary just last month, was released on Tuesday after reports he was beaten by Jewish settlers and detained by the Israeli military.
Lawyer Lea Tsemel told the Associated Press she had no information on the filmmaker's whereabouts early Tuesday, around 12 hours after witnesses said he was attacked and detained.
His fellow co-director Yuval Abraham later wrote on Twitter/X: "After the assault, Hamdan was handcuffed and blindfolded all night in an army base while two soldiers beat him up on the floor, his lawyer Leah Tsemel said after speaking with him just now.
"He's still held in the Kiryat Arba police station."
A later update said he was free and going home.
Ballal was one of three Palestinians detained in the village of Susiya late on Monday, according to Tsemel, who is representing them. Police later told her they are being held at a military base for medical treatment.
Basel Adra, another co-director, witnessed the detention and said around two dozen settlers — some masked, some carrying guns, some in Israeli uniform — attacked the village.
Soldiers who arrived pointed their guns at the Palestinians, while settlers continued throwing stones.
The Israeli military said it detained three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at forces and one Israeli civilian involved in a “violent confrontation” between Israelis and Palestinians — a claim witnesses interviewed by AP disputed.
The military said it had transferred them to Israeli police for questioning and had evacuated an Israeli citizen from the area to receive medical treatment.
Avengers star Mark Ruffalo made a statement on Monday evening, condemning the attack and calling the abduction "not an accident".
“No matter where you stand on this issue this is an attack on our beloved art form of film-making,” Ruffalo commented on an IndieWire post on Instagram.
He added: “Hamden Ballal is a political prisoner and this is an international incident and violation of human rights.
"Many of us are not surprised by this behaviour from the lawless settlers and the IDF at this point. Kill[ing] journalists and abducting film makers is not an accident but a design for the eradication of a people and their culture. Free Ballal!”
Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn also called out the attack, writing: "No Other Land depicts the horrifying violence Palestinians in the West Bank endure under apartheid. Yesterday, its co-director Hamdan Ballal was beaten in his home by settlers before being detained by Israeli forces.
"People applauded Hamdan. Now they are silent. Free Hamdan."
Channel 4 ‘deeply disturbed by detention'
Channel 4 has said it is “deeply disturbed” by reports of Ballal abduction.
A Channel 4 spokesperson said: “We are deeply disturbed by reports that Hamdan Ballal, the co-director of Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, which aired on Channel 4, has been injured while being attacked by settlers in the West Bank, and that he has been subsequently detained by Israeli authorities.
“Ballal is a remarkably brave filmmaker who has spent several years chronicling the treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank by settlers and the Israeli military.
“As a state which has said it is committed to freedom of expression, we urge Israeli authorities to ensure his safety.”
