Hamburg protest of Bulgarian consulate demands justice for former Palestinian prisoner Omar Nayef Zayed

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The Democratic Palestine Committee and supporters of Palestine in Hamburg, Germany demonstrated on Friday, 8 April outside the Bulgarian consulate in Hamburg, demanding justice and accountability in the case of Omar Nayef Zayed, who was found dead at the Palestinian embassy in Sofia on 26 February.

Nayef Zayed, a former Palestinian prisoner and struggler with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who had escaped Israeli jails in 1990 and fled to Bulgaria, had taken refuge in the embassy since December 2015, after the Israeli state requested his extradition from Bulgaria. An international campaign was organized to oppose the extradition of Nayef Zayed and defend him in Bulgaria against further Israeli torture and imprisonment.

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He was found dead in the embassy on 26 February, having fallen from a high story. Palestinian political organizations and comrades of Nayef Zayed have warned of the likelihood of his assassination by Israeli agents, while the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority and the embassy have also been highlighted: Palestinian ambassador Ahmad al-Madhbouh regularly pressured Nayef Zayed to leave the embassy, blocked visits with him from lawyers and solidarity delegations and pressured him during his time there.

International events are being organized marking the 40th day of Nayef Zayed’s death, and demanding justice and accountability in the ongoing investigation; no forensic report has been released by Bulgarian officials, and a new Palestinian investigation committee has just arrived in Bulgaria after a previous committee disbanded amid reports that its members were subject to political pressure from the PA leadership.

The protest in Hamburg is joined by actions and events in Berlin, Wuppertal, New York City, Copenhagen, Sofia and others around the world.

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Photos: Democratic Palestine Committees/Hamburg

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