Photos: Hassan Safadi free in Nablus

Hassan Safadi returned to Nablus today after winning his freedom after a total of 168 days on hunger strike. Safadi had been held under administrative detention, without charge or trial, and had launched his hunger strike with other administrative detainees demanding their freedom in March 2012, ending with the agreement of May 2012 that concluded the mass Karameh hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners.

This agreement purported to ensure that the long-term hunger strikers’ administrative detention would not be renewed; however, Safadi’s was shortly thereafter renewed, and he resumed his lengthy hunger strike; his first hunger strike ran for 73 days and his second for 95. He ended his hunger strike in an agreement to release him at the end of a four month administrative detention renewal period, on Monday, Oct. 29.

Safadi was released today, October 29, in Nablus, to the delight of his family and a large welcome:

Former prisoner Woroud Qasem joins in the celebration

Hassan Safadi with fellow former prisoners and hunger strikers Khader Adnan and Bilal Diab