The International League of People’s Struggles – of which Samidoun is a member organization – convened its 6th International Assembly in Hong Kong from 23 to 27 June, drawing hundreds of participants from dozens of countries.
Khaled Barakat, Palestinian writer and coordinator of the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat, was invited to be one of the conference’s keynote speakers. However, one day before the beginning of the conference, Barakat was suddenly slapped with a repressive political ban by German authorities, banning him from speaking in public either “directly or indirectly,” in person or over video. Therefore, Barakat was unable to deliver his keynote address, under threat of a year in prison in Germany.
Charlotte Kates, International Coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, spoke over video to the ILPS conference, discussing the repression that prevented them from hearing from Barakat and its context in the ongoing siege and attacks on Palestine by the imperialist powers.
During the closing session of the assembly, participants representing around 25 countries gathered together to take solidarity photos supporting Khaled Barakat and the Palestinian struggle against repression and for liberation. “The German government is acting as an accomplice to U.S. imperialism and Israeli Zionism, and it is trying to crush the German people’s attempts to protest about the plight of the Palestinians. Not only is it a right to protest, it is our duty,” said the ILPS in their message of solidarity.
