At present, 24 Palestinian women — out of approximately 95 Palestinian women prisoners, of 9,900 Palestinians in Zionist jails, in addition to thousands more from Gaza held in colonial torture camps like that at Sde Teiman — are being imprisoned under “administrative detention” by the occupation forces in the colonial Damon prison. They include students from various Palestinian universities, journalists, activists, a lawyer, employees of Birzeit University and re-arrested former prisoners. “Administrative detention” is a detention regime inherited from the British colonial mandate over Palestine which allows the Zionist occupation to imprison Palestinians without charge or trial for a period of 3 to 6 months, renewable indefinitely.
Diala Nader Ibrahim Eideh (Diala Ayesh) is a lawyer from Al-Bireh, arrested on 17 January 2024 at a checkpoint on her way back to Ramallah. On 24 January, the Zionist occupation military commander in the West Bank issued an administrative detention order against her for four months. On 23 May 2024, the Ofer military court renewed her administrative detention for a further four months. Diala is a lawyer and human rights defender. She actively monitors and documents the living conditions of Palestinian political prisoners in the colonial military prison system and in the Palestinian Authority prisons.
Three well-known Palestinian women journalists are also held in administrative detention: Asma Hraish, from Beitunia, Ramallah, held since April 3. She was ordered to administrative detention for 3 months — renewed once again on June 27.
Israa Lafi was abducted by occupation forces on 17 July 2024, then ordered to administrative detention for 6 months. This is her second incarceration; in 2018 she spent 10 months in colonial prisons.
Bushra Al-Taweel, imprisoned for the 7th time by the colonial occupation. She was seized by occupation forces on 7 March 2024, during an invasion of Ramallah and ordered to administrative detention for 6 months, which was again renewed on August 19.
Shaima Rawajba, a student at An Najah University, was arrested during a raid by the colonial army on her home in Nablus on April 18, then ordered to administrative detention for 3 months. Her arbitrary detention without charge or trial was renewed for a further 4 months on July 24. This is her second detention; in 2022, the occupying forces had first arrested her alongside 3 of her friends at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Seven students or recent graduates from Al Khalil are in administrative detention. These include Baraa Jamal Karama, Angham Asafra, Shahad Asafra and Jenin Amr. All four were arrested on December 3, then ordered to arbitrary administrative detention without charge or trial for a period of 4 months, renewed on April 1 and July 17 for a period of 4 months each time.
On September 1, 2024, the occupation forces arrested Jenin’s cousin, Raghad Amr, alongside Raghad Mubarak and Al Yamama Harinat. Raghad Amr & Al-Yamama are students, and Raghad Mubarak a recent engineering graduate, of Palestine Polytechnic University in Al Khalil. All three were ordered to administrative detention for a period of 4 months.
Hadeel Shatara, an employee of Birzeit University and a dedicated advocate for Palestinian prisoners’ liberation, was seized by the occupation on June 30 upon her return to Palestine and ordered to administrative detention for 5 months.
Khalida Jarrar, an academic at Birzeit University and feminist activist, was arrested on December 26 and ordered to administrative detention for 6 months, renewed on June 24.
Three students from Birzeit University are also in administrative detention: Layan Kayed, detained since April 7, and whose detention was renewed on July 5 for an additional 4 months.
Mona Abu Hussein, arrested on 12 March 2024 and whose administrative detention was renewed twice, on June 4 and September 3 for three months each time.
Dania Hanatsheh, arrested on August 19 and transferred to administrative detention for 4 months. Dania is one of the prisoners re-abducted after her release in November during the prisoner exchange achieved by the Palestinian Resistance.
In addition to Dania Hanatsheh, two other prisoners released in the November exchange were re-arrested and ordered to administrative detention by the occupation forces:
Hanan Barghouti, 60 years old, from Kobar, Ramallah, arrested on 5 March 2023 and ordered to administrative detention for a period of 3 months. Hanan’s husband and three of her children are also imprisoned. Her detention order was renewed twice, on June 4 and September 3, for three months each time.
Walaa Tanja, from Balata refugee camp in Nablus, was arrested at the Deir Sharaf checkpoint alongside Youssef Abu Dhraa, then transferred to administrative detention for a period of 6 months.
Two graduates of Birzeit University are also detained under this regime. Layan Nasir, detained since April 7, whose detention was renewed on July 30 for an additional 4 months. Layan Nasir was previously arrested in 2021 and spent 50 days in detention. And Saja Muadi, originally from Ramallah, arrested on April 18 and ordered to administrative detention without charge or trial for 6 months.
Yasmine Abu Sorour, from the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, was abducted by the Zionist occupation forces on 26 December 2023 and ordered to six months in colonial administrative detention. She has been imprisoned at least three times before, in 2015, when she was a minor girl, and twice in 2018.
Fatima Youssef al-Farakhna, from Deir Jarir in the Ramallah area, was abducted by occupation forces on 10 May 2024 and then ordered jailed without charge or trial for 6 months under administrative detention.
Sumoud Welad Muhammad, from Ramallah, has been held in detention without charge or trial since 12 March 2024, when she was abducted by occupation forces.
Freedom for all Palestinians held in Zionist, imperialist and reactionary prisons; freedom for Palestine!
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