Palestinian prisoner Nassar Nasser Mohammed Nassar, 21, launched an open hunger strike in protest of his imprisonment without charge or trial under Israeli administrative detention.
Quds News reported that Nassar announced his hunger strike on Thursday, 9 June, demanding his freedom and an end to administrative detention without charge or trial. He was then immediately transferred to solitary confinement in Ofer prison by the Israeli prison administration.
Nassar was arrested in al-Khalil on 15 March 2016 and ordered to administrative detention after interrogation. Nassar was born on 26 December 1994 and lives in Dura, al-Khalil, occupied Palestine.
He joins fellow hunger striker Malik Qadi, 18, on hunger strike for 19 days to protest his torture and abuse under interrogation.
There are approximately 750 Palestinians imprisoned without charge or trial under administrative detention. Despite widespread international condemnation and clear evidence that the systematic Israeli practice of imprisonment without trial violates international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, the number of Palestinians imprisoned under administrative detention has risen dramatically since October 2015.
A number of prominent Palestinian administrative detainees have engaged in hunger strikes to win their freedom including Khader Adnan, on two occasions; journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq; and lawyer Mohammed Allan, among many others. Several collective hunger strikes, including the 2015 “Battle of Breaking the Chains” and a 2014 hunger strike of over 100 administrative detainees, have demanded an end to the practice.
