Four Palestinian prisoners continue on hunger strike to demand their freedom from administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial, with two strikers reaching the 30-day mark without food and facing serious deterioration to their health.
Ahmed Abu Fara, 29, and Anas Shadid, 19, have been on hunger strike since 25 September 2016, entering their second month of hunger strike today. Both are demanding their freedom from administrative detention as they have began to see significant deterioration in their health. Abu Fara has been imprisoned since 2 August and Shadid since 1 August; Abu Fara previously was imprisoned for two years.
Abu Fara’s wife suffered a miscarriage after the shock of the armed invasion of her home by occupation soldiers and the arrest of her husband.
Majd Abu Shamla, 24, and Hassan Rubayah, 31, have been on hunger strike for 20 days, since 5 October, against their imprisonment without charge or trial. Abu Shamla has imprisoned since 27 January and Rubayah since 30 March.
All of the strikers are being held in solitary confinement; Shadid and Abu Fara in the Ramle prison clinic and Abu Shamla and Rubayah in the Negev desert prison. They are all suffering from severe fatigue, exhaustian and pain throughout their body; they continue to consume only water.
Abu Fara and Shadid are prohibited radio, television and even pen and paper to write their family. They were brought to a legal visit on 20 October in wheelchairs as they cannot walk, and have each lost more than 10 kilograms of weight.
They are among over 700 Palestinians held in administrative detention without charge or trial. Administrative detention orders, issued from one to six months on the basis of secret evidence, are indefinitely renewable; Palestinians have spent years at a time under administrative detention.
Samidoun urges international attention, action and support to these four hunger strikers, whose bodies are on the line in Israeli jails for their own freedom and for the freedom struggle of the Palestinian people.
