Amnesty International renews Urgent Action for Khalida Jarrar

The following Action Alert was released by Amnesty International on 11 August on the case of Khalida Jarrar, imprisoned Palestinian leftist parliamentarian, feminist and prisoners’ advocate, following the repeated postponement of her military court trial after the Israeli military prosecution has failed to produce witnesses or evidence against her three times in a row.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges the broadest support for Khalida Jarrar in her campaign for justice.  Take action to support Khalida and demand her release!

1. Click here: Send a message to the Israeli Occupation Forces and demand the immediate release of Khalida Jarrar.It is important that the occupation learns that Khalida has supporters around the world who will not be silent in the face of this injustice.

2. Sign the petition! Sign and share this petition, demanding freedom for Khalida Jarrar immediately.

3. Contact your Member of Parliament, Representative, or Member of European Parliament. The attack on Khalida is an attack on Palestinian parliamentary legitimacy and political expression. Parliamentarians have a responsibility to pressure Israel to cancel this order.

4. Send a letter to Khalida Jarrar – help support her and show her jailers that the world is with her!

5. Use the Campaign Resources to inform your community, parliamentarians and others about Khalida’s case.

6. Protest at the Israeli consulate or embassy for Khalida Jarrar. Bring posters and flyers about Khalida’s case and hold a protest, or join a protest with this important information. Hold a community event or discussion, or include Khalida’s case in your next event about Palestine and social justice.

7. Boycott, Divest and Sanction. Hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law. Don’t buy Israeli goods, and campaign to end investments in corporations that profit from the occupation. Learn more at bdsmovement.net.

KHALIDA JARRAR’S TRIAL POSTPONED AGAIN
An Israeli military court has postponed Khalida Jarrar’s trial again, because the prosecution had failed to produce witnesses for the third time. The judge rejected a request to have her released on bail until the end of legal proceedings.
 
Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar had her trial postponed by a military court for a third time on 10 August, because the prosecution had failed to produce witnesses, for a third time. She has been detained since April 2015 on the basis of secret evidence withheld from her and her defense team. She is facing an unfair trial on charges including membership of an illegal organization, carrying out services for an illegal organization, participation in protests and incitement to violence.
An Israeli military judge had overturned a previous decision to release her on bail, on 21 May. Since then, her case has been adjourned three times when the prosecution failed to bring witnesses from the prison where they were held. The judge also rejected a second request from her lawyer to release her on bail. This violated Khalida Jarrar’s right to have proceedings against her conducted with particular speed and promptness.
The prosecution said during the 21 May hearing that they would ensure Khalida Jarrar remained in prison even if bail was granted by putting her under an administrative detention order, which would allow them to hold her without charge or prospect of trial. The Israeli authorities had held Khalida Jarrar in administrative detention after her arrest.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Khalida Jarrar is held in HaSharon prison, Israel, facing unfair trial before an Israeli military court, whose proceedings fall short of international standards for fair trial. Judges and prosecutors are recruited from the Israeli military. Judges are appointed by the Regional Commander on the Military Advocate General’s recommendation and promoted almost exclusively from the ranks of prosecutors. Once appointed, judges have no right of tenure and can be removed by the Regional Commander at any time. Serious doubts have been expressed about their impartiality. Trials are often based on confessions from witnesses who have been known to withdraw them later, saying they were made under duress. Defendants regularly resort to plea bargains even when they are innocent because they do not believe they will have a fair trial and feel they have no choice other than to accept a guilty plea which will lead to a reduced sentence.
 
Name: Khalida Jarrar (f)  
Issues: Unfair trial, Legal concern, Unjust imprisonment
Further information on UA: 81/15 
Issue Date: 12 August 2015
Country: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories
 
Please let us know if you took action so that we can track our impact!
 
EITHER send a short email to uan@aiusa.org with “UA 81/15” in the subject line, and include in the body of the email the number of letters and/or emails you sent,
 
OR fill out this short online form to let us know how you took action.
Thank you for taking action! Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action Office if taking action after the appeals date. This is the fifth update of UA 81/15. Further information:https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/1773/2015/en/. If you receive a response from a government official, please forward it to us at uan@aiusa.org or to the Urgent Action Office.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Please write immediately in English, Hebrew or your own language:
  • Expressing concern that the continual and unnecessary delays in Khalida Jarrar’s trial are punitive, and urging the authorities to bring her to trial promptly in proceedings that meet international fair trial standards;
  • Expressing concern that it was contrary to international law and standards to deny Khalida Jarrar bail on the basis of evidence that she and her defense counsel were not allowed to see, preventing her from effectively challenging her continued detention.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 23 SEPTEMBER 2015 TO:
Military Judge Advocate General
Brigadier General Danny Efroni
Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel
Salutation: Dear Judge Advocate General
Minister of Defense
Moshe Ya’alon
Ministry of Defense
Tel Aviv 61909, Israel
Salutation: Dear Minister
Commander of the IDF – West Bank
Major-General Roni Numa
GOC Central Command
Military Post 01149, Battalion 877
Israel Defense Forces, Israel
Salutation: Dear Major-General Roni Numa 
Also send copies to:
Ambassador Ron Dermer, Embassy of Israel
3514 International Dr. NW, Washington DC 20008
 
Please share widely with your networks: http://bit.ly/1ILSyMV
 
We encourage you to share Urgent Actions with your friends and colleagues! When you share with your networks, instead of forwarding the original email, please use the “Forward this email to a friend” link found at the very bottom of this email. Thank you for your activism!