Zionist occupation re-arrests ex-prisoner liberated under exchange deal

protest-prisonersThe Palestine Information Centre reported on February 27 that another former prisoner, Mahmoud Taym, released in the prisoner exchange of October 2011 (the Wafa al-Ahrar agreement) has been re-sentenced to 10 months, the remainder of his prior term.

GAZA, (PIC)– Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies confirmed that the occupation ruled that ex-captive Mahmoud Taym from Nablus, liberated under Wafa al-Ahrar deal, will be jailed for 10 months, to complete his previous prison term.

Lawyer Mustafa Azmouty told PIC that Salem Military Court has sentenced yesterday the captive Taym to 11 months of imprisonment. He was sentenced to 10 months as completion of his previous sentence, before his release under the exchange deal, in addition to one month for entering the 1948-occupied territories without the occupation permit.

Mahmoud Taym was serving a prison term of 34 months, before being released under Wafa al-Ahrar deal after 24 months of imprisonment. The occupation re-kidnapped him 3 months ago, and imposed on him to serve the rest of his prison sentence.

Director of the Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies, researcher Riyad al-Ashqar, said in a press statement on Tuesday that Taym was not the only liberated prisoner who was re-arrested by the occupation.

Ashqar warned of this dangerous procedure, which aims to re-arrest the ex-prisoners who had been liberated under the prisoners exchange deal, and stressed that the silence and inaction regarding these Israeli abuses encourage the occupation to continue its criminal policies against the liberated captives.

At least 14 other prisoners exchanged for Shalit were rearrested, Ashqar revealed, demanding the Egyptian sponsor to intervene for their release.

 

It should be noted that this is also the situation faced by long-term hunger strikers Samer Issawi and Ayman Sharawna. Issawi, who has now been engaged in a hunger strike for over 200 days, faces a potential sentence of 20 years, resuming his previous sentence. The former prisoners re-arrested are being held under Article 186 of Military Order 1651, which allows the Israeli military to re-arrest and re-impose the prior sentence of released prisoners using secret evidence of violations of their release agreement.