Palestinian cartoonist Mohammed Saba’aneh detained as his family appeals for help

Samidoun received the following important report about the urgent situation of Palestinian detainee, cartoonist Mohammad Saba’aneh:

sabaanehPalestinian cartoonist Mohammad Saba’aneh was detained on February 16 by Israeli occupation forces at the border crossing as he returned to the West Bank from a conference in Jordan. He is a 34-year-old artist.

He has been held since that time at Al Jalama detention facility; he has not been charged and has been denied access to a lawyer or family visits. This is the first time Mohammad is arrested; he is not affiliated with any of the political parties and, according to his family, his arrest came as a surprise to them because his work is more directed to arts and culture, for which he won many local and international awards. Mohammad is a popular editorial cartoonist of Al Haya Al Jadida daily, an artist and cultural worker with one book published and work published in various Arab newspapers including Jordanian Daily Al Ghad and Al Etihad in the United Arab Emirates. He is active in a number of community based organization and syndicates, and works at the Public Relations Department of the Arab American University of the West Bank city of Jenin.

After the death of 30 year old Palestinian detainee Arafat Jaradat, Mohammad’s family issued an appeal expressing their concern over his life and the conditions he might be held in, especially as he was held in the same detention facility where Jaradat was held and interrogated before his death.

We are the family of Mohammed Abdel Ghani Saba’na, who has been arrested by the Israeli Occupation Army as he was coming back home from Jordan through Al-Karama crossing. And since that day his lawyers was unable to meet him and all their requests were rejected.

We – Family of Sabaaneh – and after the death of “ARAFAT JARADAT” during investigation by Israeli army, at Aljalameh compound or after that in Majeddo prison, We appeal to all parties especially humanitarian organizations all around the world to interfere fast to help us visiting our son to check on him and his safety we appeal to them to work hard to save our Son and all prisoners from the Occupation prisons to end their suffering by lifting their case up to international forums to assure their safety and their legal rights.

Family of Sabaaneh

On February 25, Mohammad was transferred to Asqalan (Ashkelon) prison and his family still has no updates about his condition, another court hearing is scheduled Thursday. Until now Mohammad is held with no charges and his lawyer is denied access to any information about the motives behind his arrest.

His arrest has been condemned by a number of local Palestinian bodies like the Journalists Syndicate and some international bodies and is viewed as part of the continued systematic attack on Palestinian young activists and journalists who are exposing the ugliness of Israeli occupation and who have been also quite critical of the role and policies of the Palestinian Authority.

More info:
http://mondoweiss.net/2013/02/palestinian-cartoonist-international.html 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/الحريه-للفنان-الفلسطيني-محمد-سباعنه/397722083575137
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/israeli-forces-arrests-palestinian-cartoonist-rsf_rwb-pressfreedom-fightcensors_en/