In a case which sets an extremely dangerous precedent for judicial repression of Palestinians and pro-Palestine activists in Europe, the Court of L’Aquila, Italy, has sentenced Anan Yaeesh to 5 years and 6 months in prison for conspiracy to commit terrorism. At the same hearing, Ali Irar and Mansour Doghmosh were acquitted, the three having been accused of links to the Tulkarem Rapid Response Groups of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a resistance group active in the West Bank of occupied Palestine.
This sentencing is yet another demonstration of European institutional alignment with the Zionist entity, their relentless persecution of Palestinian Resistance, and contempt for the Palestinians’ legal and moral right to resist and seek liberation from colonialism and occupation.
As the sentence for Anan Yaeesh was read out, the courtroom — full of activists in solidarity with Palestine — was filled with shouts of “shame, shame!” Even as they celebrated the acquittal of Ali and Mansour, the outrageousness of Anan’s sentence demonstrated precisely the criminalization of legal and legitimate Palestinian resistance. Anan Yaeesh was accused of — and proudly affirmed — participation in resistance in the West Bank, universally internationally recognized as under occupation, whose people have a right to pursue armed struggle to achieve their liberation.
The court’s sentences fell significantly short of the prosecution’s demands, which had sought 12 years in prison for Anan Yaeesh, 9 for Ali Irar, and 7 for Mansour Doghmosh. Anan, who will appeal the verdict, has been detained since January 2024. Held in Melfi prison, he could only observe the final hearing via video call.
In Italy, a growing movement of solidarity has supported these defendants, viewing them not merely as individuals on trial but as integral members of the global struggle for Palestinian liberation. Many organizations, including the Giovani Palestinesi Italia, the Free Anan Committee, and a range of leftist political parties, Palestinian community organizations, student groups and solidarity movements have joined the campaign in support of the three men.
Outside the courthouse, there was even more immediate outrage upon the announcement of the sentence, with supporters protesting Anan’s sentence in anger. The Zionist entity, which had attempted to have Yaeesh extradited in 2024 only to be denied, had clearly influenced the final decision through its embassy, as the defense team warned of Israeli military intelligence materials being used as evidence in the case in a statement before the hearing. In fact, the Italian charges brought against Yaeesh were simply a restatement of the Zionist allegations raised to pursue his extradition.
Outside the courthouse, the defense lawyer Rossi Albertini stated “This process should have established whether we were dealing with terrorism or legitimate resistance to the occupation, applying international humanitarian law, but this step was bypassed.” One of the most serious aspects of the trial was the exclusion, from the beginning, of all defense witnesses, who were experts in international humanitarian law and occupation, who would clearly affirm that resistance to foreign occupation and colonization is a fundamental right. Only the prosecution’s witnesses, mainly DIGOS (Special Operations Unit) officers, were permitted. Perhaps even more disturbing was the attempt to use interrogation records of Palestinian prisoners held in “Israeli” jails. “These are statements made without legal counsel after Shin Bet interrogations, where torture is systematic. Their use in a trial is both legally and morally unacceptable,” Albertini noted.
Furthermore, the court admitted testimony from an Israeli embassy official. “This is a grave matter,” said Rossi Albertini, “to recognize the occupying state as a reliable source just as the International Court of Justice has declared the occupation illegal and ordered the dismantling of settlements.” This case demonstrates not just the court’s institutional alignment with the Zionist occupation, but also its willingness to let the genocidal state dictate its own repressive agenda through the European judiciary.
Anan Yaeesh and his lawyers have already declared that they will be appealing the sentence. Through this case, they are defending not only Anan himself, but the Palestinian people’s right to resist occupation — a critically important action at the same time that the imperialist powers, led by the United States and including Italy, are attempting to impose “disarmament” upon the Palestinian resistance.
This case is not alone. The Italian state is also imprisoning seven Palestinian men, including Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Associazione dei Palestinesi in Italia, Raed Dawoud, Yasser Elasaly, Raed al-Salahat, Reyad Albustanji, Khalil Abu Deiah and Adel Abu Rawwa, accusing them of “funding Hamas” for raising millions of Euro to support the Palestinian people. Like the case of Anan Yaeesh, the case against these seven activists — prominent leaders of the Palestinian community and of the Palestine movement in Italy — relies extensively on “Israeli” allegations, designations and intelligence information, including alleged documents seized by genocidal forces in Gaza as well as Shin Bet interrogations. Ahmed Salem, a Palestinian refugee from Lebanon, has also been imprisoned in Italy for nearly 1 year after he applied for asylum in the country; instead of being provided with protection, he is accused of “terrorist propaganda” for videos urging action against genocide.
The imprisonment of Anan Yaeesh is, like the persecution of the Palestinian 7 and Ahmed Salem, part and parcel of Italy’s ongoing comolicity in genocide, a direct act to aid and abet the genocide of the Palestinian people by denying the legitimacy of their resistance, depriving them of aid and support, and attempting to erase Palestinian refugees’ quest for protection, rights and return.
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network congratulates Ali Irar and Mansour Doghmosh on their just acquittal, and urges all — not only in Italy but internationally — to continue the campaign of support to free Anan Yaeesh and all of the Palestinian prisoners in Italian and other imperialist jails, alongside the Palestinian prisoners in the occupation’s dungeons. Today, 17 January at 3 pm, in Milano, there will be a demonstration at Via Palestro in solidarity with Palestine and with all the Palestinian prisoners in Italian and occupation prisons.
The struggle continues until Anan Yaeesh, and all Palestinian political prisoners in Italy (Mohammad, Raed, Raed, Yaser, Reyad, Khalil, Adel and Ahmad), in Palestine and around the world, are free — and until Palestine is free, from the river to the sea!
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