The National Lawyers Guild in the United States is organizing a one-day hunger strike on Thursday, 27 April in support of Palestinian prisoners as they enter their eleventh day of hunger strike and as Palestinians engage in a general strike for labor, commerce and official business.
The strike will include groups in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Detroit and Miami. In San Francisco, the NLG chapter President, Vice President and Director are all participating in the strike, while in New York City, participants include the NLG national President and the International Committee’s co-chair. Individual law students, legal workers and lawyers from across the United States are participating as well. Members of the legal community are invited and encouraged to participate. The call for the strike is below, and at the NLG International Committee website:
On April 27, 2017, join the National Lawyers Guild for a day of legal solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.
Over 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners have launched a hunger strike for their basic human rights. Their demands include the right to receive family visits without denial; appropriate medical care and treatment; and an end to solitary confinement and to administrative detention — imprisonment without charge or trial on the basis of secret evidence.
Join the one-day strike: Add your name on the Google Form: https://goo.gl/forms/crFABBJ63iMk0CqF2
Sign the NLG Statement of Solidarity https://goo.gl/forms/vjTp4HsimALKhnMs1
Palestinian prisoners launched their strike on April 17, Palestinian Prisoners Day. Since then, they have been subjected to harsh and punitive penalties. Strike leaders have been thrown in solitary confinement while striking prisoners have had their clothing and extra blankets confiscated, been kept from recreation and group prayers, and denied family and legal visits. Only three of the 1,500 striking prisoners have been able to receive visits from lawyers since the strike began; this has sparked a boycott of Israeli military courts by Palestinian lawyers and legal organizations.
In response to the hunger strike, Palestinian organizations in Palestine have called for a general strike of both work and commerce on Thursday, April 27. As lawyers, legal workers and law students in the United States, we are urging people in the legal community and profession across the country to join our one-day solidarity hunger strike on April 27.
To connect with local groups organizing in a city or to start a city group, email Charlotte at international@nlg.org.
To sign up and register your individual participation – anywhere across the country – use our Google Form: https://goo.gl/forms/crFABBJ63iMk0CqF2
Resources on Palestinian Prisoners’ Hunger Strike:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/04/16/opinion/palestinian-hunger-strik-prisoners-call-for-justice.html
http://samidoun.net/2017/04/call-for-action-27-30-april-2017-support-palestinian-hunger-strikers/
http://addameer.org/news/seventh-day-mass-hunger-strike-continues-despite-escalation
https://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=776610
