Journalist and hunger striker Omar Nazzal’s appeal rejected by Israeli high court

omar-nazzalThe Israeli High Court today rejected an appeal by Palestinian journalist Omar Nazzal against his administrative detention without charge or trial. Imprisoned since 23 April 2016 when he was arrested while traveling to attend the Sarajevo conference of the European Federation of Journalists, the member of the General Secretariat of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate is part of the collective hunger strike for freedom for fellow administrative detainee Bilal Kayed. Nazzal, who began striking on Thursday, 4 August, is one of over 20 Palestinian journalists imprisoned in Israeli jails. While his four-month administrative detention order is scheduled to expire on 22 August, like all of the nearly 750 administrative detainees in Israeli jails, his imprisonment is subject to indefinite renewal at the whim of the Israeli intelligence and occupation military.

The statement from Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Nazzal’s lawyers, follows:

Israeli High Court rejected an appeal by Addameer’s attorney to cancel the administrative detention order against journalist Omar Nazzal today, Monday 08 August 2016. An administrative detention order was issued on 02 May 2016 against Mr. Nazzal, which is set to end on 22 August 2016, but may be renewed indefinitely.

Recently, Mr.Nazzal has joined the mass hunger strike in solidarity with hunger striking administrative detainee Bilal Kayed.

Occupation forces arrested the journalist Omar Nazzal, a member of the General Secretariat of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, and president of the Democratic Journalists Union on  23 April 2016, from the Allenby Bridge while en route to participation in the European Federation of Journalists General Meeting.

Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association condemns the continued and systematic targeting and arrests of journalists, including Mr. Nazzal, in contravention with the internationally codified freedom of expression and of movement. Journalists continue to be targeted for practicing their professions and reporting and investigating human rights violations in occupied Palestine.

Administrative detention orders are issued either at the time of arrest or at some later date and are often based on “secret information” collected by the Israeli Security Agency. Neither the detainee nor his lawyer is ever informed of the reasons for the detention or given access to the “secret information”.