Palestinian candidate 'beaten up'

A candidate in January's Palestinian presidential election says he has been detained and beaten by Israeli soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint. Mustafa Barghouti, 50, an activist and cousin of jailed candidate Marwan Barghouti, said he was hurt in an incident near the town of Jenin. He said soldiers hit him and pinned him to the ground with rifles after he complained about language they used. The Israeli army would not comment on reports of a violent incident. Mr Barghouti is a democracy and human rights activist who is standing as an independent outsider in the Palestinian presidential election scheduled for 9 January. The Israeli army said Mr Barghouti and his companions had refused the soldiers' request for a routine identification check. [more]