Re-arrested Palestinian lawyer Muhammad Allan isolated on tenth day of hunger strike

Re-arrested former Palestinian prisoner and long-term hunger striker Muhammad Allan was transferred to isolation in Megiddo prison on his tenth day of hunger strike, Saturday, 17 June. The Palestinian lawyer from the village of Einabus launched the strike on 8 June following his seizure by Israeli occupation forces during a pre-dawn raid on his family home. Mohja al-Quds reported that he had been held in the Jalameh/Kishon interrogation center since that time before being moved into isolation.

Allan’s detention was extended on Thursday, 15 June by an Israeli military court; Ma’an News reported that he is now being accused of “incitement” for posting his political opinions on Facebook. Hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested and charged by Israeli occupation forces with “incitement” for posting their political opinions or honoring Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces.

He was last released from Israeli prison in November 2015 following a 66-day hunger strike in which he secured an end to his year-long administrative detention, imprisonment without charge or trial. Allan, 33, won worldwide support and solidarity from lawyers’ organizations and supporters of Palestinian rights during his hunger strike. He had previously been detained twice in Israeli occupation prisons and had previously been sentenced to imprisonment for affiliation with Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Allan is not the only long-term hunger striker recently re-arrested by Israeli occupation forces. Anas Shadid, 20, who was released only 20 days prior on 24 May 2017, conducted a 90-day hunger strike alongside Anas Abu Fara to win his release from imprisonment without charge or trial. He was seized by Israeli occupation forces in a pre-dawn raid on 15 June after being summoned to interrogation with Israeli occupation intelligence.

Khader Adnan, former long-term hunger striker, noted that Allan’s strike is coming in rejection of the policy of re-arrest of former hunger strikers and released prisoners, denouncing the ongoing seizures of released prisoners.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network denounces the ongoing re-arrests and attacks on released Palestinian prisoners. We express our strongest solidarity with Muhammad Allan’s struggle for freedom and urge the immediate release of Palestinian lawyer Muhammad Allan and all Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.