Maastricht students highlight struggles of Palestinian political prisoners

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Students for Justice in Palestine at Maastricht University in the Netherlands marked Palestinian Prisoners’ Day with a protest in front of the town hall in Maastricht.

Participants highlighted the over 7,000 Palestinian political prisoners, including over 400 children and 700 administrative detainees, new Knesset laws targeting Palestinians, violations of the Geneva Conventions, and the injustice of military courts convicting Palestinians at a rate of over 99%. In addition, they highlighted the call to boycott G4S, the multinational security corporation that provides security systems, equipment and control rooms to Israeli prisons, checkpoints and police training centers. G4S has pledged to sell off its Israeli subsidiary, but Palestinian organizers have emphasized the importance of boycotting the corporation until this actually takes place, as its equipment is still daily used to imprison and oppress Palestinians.

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SJP Maastricht previously hosted Samidoun for a presentation on Palestinian prisoners. On 25 April, SJP will feature a former Palestinian political prisoner sharing his testimony as part of a Palestinian cultural event it is organizing at the WE Festival.

Video and photos by SJP Maastricht