Dirar Abu Sisi, a Palestinian engineer who ran the Gaza Strip’s power plant before he was abducted from the Ukraine while on a train trip by Israeli intelligence agents in 2011, and has been held in solitary confinement since that time, launched an open hunger strike that was publicly announced on Thursday, August 22, after he had already been striking for at least three days.
Abu Sisi is demanding an end to his solitary confinement. He was moved to a hospital in Ramle from Eshel prison on Friday, August 23 after a decline in his health.
Israeli officials publicly declared their retaliation against Abu Sisi, saying that all personal items and electronics save a fan had been taken from him.
Palestinian prisoners in several prisons declared that Israel Prison Services had 48 hours to end Abu Sisi’s isolation before prisoners would isolate their resistance, demanding an end to his solitary confinement. Prisoners plan to escalate their tactics, and include a first group of prisoners launching open-ended hunger strikes on Sunday, August 25, and to announce their names as “Dirar Abu Sisi” daily in morning roll call rather than their own names.
Fuad Khuffash of the Ahrar Centre announced these plans, saying that additional prisoners would continue to join the strike until Abu Sisi is released from solitary confinement.
The UFree Network is organizing a campaign to support Abu Sisi – their petition can be signed here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/supportdirarabusisi/
UFree produced the following video on Abu Sisi’s case:
