Nidal Abu Aker among 35 Palestinians ordered to administrative detention without charge or trial in late January

On Monday, 6 February, Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq was ordered to six months in Israeli prison without charge or trial under administrative detention. Al-Qeeq launched a hunger strike; he previously won his release from administrative detention with a 94-day hunger strike in 2016. There are over 530 Palestinians currently held without charge or trial under indefinitely-renewable administrative detention orders, out of nearly 7,000 total Palestinian prisoners.

Also on Monday, the Ofer court confirmed a four-month administrative detention order against Palestinian prisoner Maher Nazmi Jaradat, 27, from the town of Seir in al-Khalil, stating that his arrest will not be renewed. He has spent over 16 months in administrative detention.  Meanwhile, the Ofer appeals court also confirmed a four-month order against Palestinian activist and writer Thamer Sabaaneh, 40, from Jenin, and stated his detention will not be renewed. He has been imprisoned since 11 October 2016 and spent over 8 years total in Israeli prisons.

Israeli occupation authorities issued 35 administrative detention orders between 18 and 31 January, Palestinian lawyer Mahmoud Halabi reported, for a total of 91 orders issued in January 2017. Of this latest group of orders, 12 were new orders and the remainder were renewals of existing orders.

Nidal Abu Aker upon his release from Israeli prison in 2015; he was re-arrested eight months later.

These administrative detention orders included a renewed order against Palestinian journalist, activist and former long-term hunger striker Nidal Abu Aker. Arrested on 9 August 2016, Abu Aker was ordered to an additional six months in Israeli prison. A prominent Palestinian leftist in Dheisheh refugee camp, Abu Aker has spent nine years in total in administrative detention and 13 years overall in Israeli prisons, accused of involvement and leadership in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Also ordered to six months in administrative detention was Palestinian Legislative Council member Ahmed Mubarak, detained since 16 January. He is one of seven PLC members currently held in Israeli prison.

The orders issued in late January were:

1. Yacoub Yousri Skafi, from al-Khali, 4 months, new order
2. Yousef Abdel-Malik Saadi, from Jenin, 6 months, extension
3. Ismail Yousef Othman, from Tulkarem, 4 months, extension
4. Wael Khalil Jebali, from Tulkarem, 4 months, extension
5. Alaa Yousef Suweiti, from al-Khalil, 6 months, extension
6. Mahmoud Aziz Rimawi, from Ramallah, 5 months, extension
7. Ahmed Mustafa Bilal, from Jenin, 6 months, extension
8. Tawfiq Abdullah Qandil, from Jericho, 6 months, extension
9. Ahmed Khalil Ibrahim, from Jericho, 6 months, extension
10. Jihad Abdel-Fattah Hmeidan, from Jerusalem, 4 months, extension
11. Nidal Naim Abu Aker, from Bethlehem, 6 months, extension
12. Abdullah Fadel Qassem, from Jenin, 4 months, extension
13. Wesam Barakat Ashour, from al-Khalil, 3 months, new order
14. Shadi Mohammed Shehadeh, from Bethlehem, 4 months, extension
15. Karem Nasser Abed Rabbo, from Bethlehem, 6 months, extension
16. Mohammed Kayed Imam, from al-Khalil, 4 months, extension
17. Riad Mohammed Hroub, from al-Khalil, 4 months, extension
18. Ahmed Mustafa Zayed, from Ramallah, 3 months, new order
19. Mohammed Abdel-Basit Abu Rayya, from al-Khalil, 4 months, new order
20. Montasser Wajih Abu Ayyash, from al-Khalil, 4 months, new order
21. Malik Ibrahim Hamed, from Ramallah, 3 months, extension
22. Musab Mohammed Asfour, from al-Khalil, 4 months, extension
23. Humam Abdel-Razeq Khamaiseh, from al-Khalil, 4 months, extension
24. Abdel-Rahman Issa Abu Usba, from Tulkarem, 4 months, extension
25. Rawhi Ghassan Marmash, from Nablus, 4 months, extension
26. Muath Abdel-Jaber Abu Tarboush, from Bethlehem, 4 months, extension
27. Mohammed Kamal al-Badan, from Bethlehem, 4 months, new order
28. Abdel-Aziz Abdallah Batran, from al-Khalil, 6 months, new order
29. Dakhlallah Habes Umour, from Bethlehem, 4 months, new order
30. Imad Nael Arheimi, from Ramallah, 4 months, extension
31. Salim Hamad Jahalin, from Bethlehem, 6 months, new order
32. Yousef Shafiq Abdel-Karim, from Ramallah, 4 months, new order
33. Faisal Mahmoud Khalifa, from Tulkarem, 4 months, extension
34. Falah Taher Nada, from el-Bireh, 6 months, new order
35. Ahmed Abdel-Aziz Mubarak, from Ramallah, 6 months, new order