Is It Permissible To Exhume A Body For Criminal Examination?

Exhumation of Yasser Arafat's body 'begins'

The move is part of a renewed probe into his death after Swiss scientists found traces of polonium on his clothing.

Remains of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat are being exhumed to help determine the cause of his death.

Al Jazeera's Nadeem Baba reporting from the West Bank capital of Ramallah said that "according to Tawfiq al-Tirawi, the head of the Palestinian committee investigating Arafat's death, the process of exhumation started at midnight local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday".

"We're not getting this confirmed by other sources... this whole process has been surrounded by secrecy. What I can tell you is that some of my colleagues spotted members of the French team here in Ramallah to observe the exhumation and then be involved in those tests."

Three teams of international investigators traveled on Monday to the muqat’aa, the Palestinian Authority headquarters, where Arafat is buried. They could be seen bringing equipment to the site throughout the day.

A nine-month investigation, the results of which were broadcast earlier this year, found elevated levels of polonium on Arafat’s final personal effects, raising new questions about what killed the longtime Palestinian leader.

French legal experts have also begun to gather evidence on the case in preparation for a possible trial, including testimony from people in the West Bank, according to Palestinian officials.

The teams are operating under a near-media blackout imposed by the Palestinian Authority, which had promised a transparent and open investigation. None of the investigators contacted over the past few days were willing to speak on the record.

And late on Monday, the PA said it would not allow lawyers representing Arafat’s widow, Suha, to attend the exhumation, without offering any reason for its decision.

On Monday night, workers with hand tools drilled through more than four meters of concrete over Arafat’s body. Investigators have collected several samples on the way down to took at polonium levels.

The whole process will take about ten hours, and Arafat will be reinterred in a military ceremony on Tuesday afternoon, according to al-Tirawi.

http://www.aljazeera...3125154377.html

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