Greek left party, “Popular Unity,” demands the release of Mohammed Khatib

9 February 2026

The Greek left political party, “Popular Unity,” issued a statement calling for the release of Mohammed Khatib, Samidoun coordinator in Europe, and an end to any deportation proceedings. Mohammed Khatib was arrested on 7 February in Heraklion as he traveled to speak at an event in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, also featuring liberated Palestinian prisoner Abdel-Nasser Issa. He has been held in detention since then, in unhealthy and dangerous conditions; the detention center has bedbugs, he has been denied medication, his money was stolen or taken, and he has been repeatedly denied access to the phone, despite being held in “administrative,” rather than “criminal,” detention.

We reiterate our demand for Mohammed’s immediate release. The detention of Mohammed on the pretext of a “national security” ban on his entrance to Greece — allegedly issued two days following the Greece-Cyprus-“Israel” tripartite summit — makes clear that this is a political attack not only on Mohammed and Samidoun but on the Palestinian people in exile and diaspora and the Palestinian prisoners’ movement.

Please send solidarity statements calling for Mohammed Khatib’s release to samidoun@samidoun.net. The statement from Popular Unity follows:

We denounce the arrest and detention in Heraklion of Mohammed Khatib, European coordinator of Samidoun, who was in Crete for a public demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinian people and political prisoners.

The government invokes “national security reasons”. This is a political pretext. The so-called “national security” is not threatened by the Palestinian national liberation movement nor by a Palestinian political initiative with international action, such as Samidoun. On the contrary, what has been revealed about the Predator scandal and the Israeli connections with the surveillance of ministers, senior officers and opposition figures, as well as the allegations of funding and “influence trips” of MPs, show who is really undermining democracy and popular sovereignty.

The swindle of the Hellenic Police. and the Greek government is completed by the fact that they are attempting to criminalize a Palestinian solidarity organization, following Israel’s line — a line that to date only the US, Canada and Germany have adopted.

While the genocidal attack on Gaza continues, the Mitsotakis government chooses to persecute solidarity activists and act as a willing partner of the Israeli state and its imperialist allies.

Solidarity is not criminalized.

We demand the immediate release of Mohammed Khatib and the cancellation of any deportation proceedings.

Greek original:

Καταγγέλλουμε τη σύλληψη και κράτηση του Mohammed Khatib στο Ηράκλειο, ευρωπαϊκού συντονιστή του Samidoun, ο οποίος βρισκόταν στην Κρήτη για δημόσια εκδήλωση αλληλεγγύης στον παλαιστινιακό λαό και στους πολιτικούς κρατούμενους.

Η κυβέρνηση επικαλείται «λόγους εθνικής ασφάλειας». Πρόκειται για πολιτικό πρόσχημα. Η λεγόμενη «εθνική ασφάλεια» δεν απειλείται από το παλαιστινιακό εθνικοαπελευθερωτικό κίνημα ούτε από μια παλαιστινιακή πολιτική πρωτοβουλία με διεθνή δράση, όπως το Samidoun. Αντίθετα, όσα έχουν αποκαλυφθεί για το σκάνδαλο Predator και για τις ισραηλινές διασυνδέσεις με παρακολουθήσεις υπουργών, ανώτατων αξιωματικών και στελεχών της αντιπολίτευσης, καθώς και οι καταγγελίες για χρηματοδοτήσεις και «ταξίδια επιρροής» βουλευτών, δείχνουν ποιοι πραγματικά υπονομεύουν τη δημοκρατία και τη λαϊκή κυριαρχία.

Η ξεφτίλα της ΕΛ.ΑΣ. και της ελληνικής κυβέρνησης ολοκληρώνεται από το γεγονός ότι επιχειρούν να ποινικοποιήσουν μια παλαιστινιακή οργάνωση αλληλεγγύης, ακολουθώντας τη γραμμή του Ισραήλ — μια γραμμή που μέχρι σήμερα έχουν υιοθετήσει μόνο οι ΗΠΑ, ο Καναδάς και η Γερμανία.

Την ώρα που η γενοκτονική επίθεση στη Γάζα συνεχίζεται, η κυβέρνηση Μητσοτάκη επιλέγει να διώκει αγωνιστές της αλληλεγγύης και να λειτουργεί ως πρόθυμος εταίρος του ισραηλινού κράτους και των ιμπεριαλιστικών του συμμάχων.

Η αλληλεγγύη δεν ποινικοποιείται.

Απαιτούμε την άμεση απελευθέρωση του Mohammed Khatib και την ακύρωση κάθε διαδικασίας απέλασης.

Γραφείο Τύπου 8.2.2026

Khaled Barakat calls for freedom for Mohammed Khatib and all Palestinian and Palestine movement prisoners in imperialist jails

8 February 2026

On Sunday, 8 February, Khaled Barakat, Palestinian writer and member of the Executive Committee of the Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, appeared on Al-Watan TV to discuss the case of Mohammed Khatib. Khatib, European coordinator of Samidoun and a member of the Masar Badil executive committee, was arrested on Saturday, 7 February, when he arrived at Heraklion airport in Crete, Greece, to speak at an event on Palestinian prisoners in occupation prisons, also featuring liberated Palestinian prisoner Abdel-Nasser Issa, speaking virtually.

Khatib remains detained in Greece and was told that he is now the subject of an order banning him from Greek territory for undisclosed “national security” reasons. The order was allegedly issued only two days after the last Greece-Cyprus-“Israel” summit on economic, military and security relations, as well as the ongoing deals in stolen Palestinian gas and its shipment to Europe through Greek and Cypriot pipelines.

In the interview, Barakat highlights the ongoing ties between the right-wing Greek government and the Zionist regime, as well as the escalating repression targeting the growing movement in solidarity with Palestine and the organizing of Palestinians in exile and diaspora (shatat). “There are Palestinian prisoners today in prisons in Italy, in prisons in Germany, and in prisons in the Netherlands, and in American prisons. The number is increasing of prisoners, not only Palestinians, but also supporters of the Palestinian cause. As is the case in prisons in Britain, where dozens of prisoners from Palestine Action have gone on open hunger strikes. We call on Palestinian media to focus on and highlight what is happening in these prisons and the growing role of Palestinians in the shatat. The targeting of comrade Mohammed Khatib is part of this racist campaign against our people in the shatat specifically.”

Watch the full video: https://odysee.com/@samidounnetwork:d/Khaled-Barakat-on-Al-Watan-TV-on-the-case-of-Mohammed-Khatib:4

Liberated Palestinian prisoner Abdel-Nasser Issa speaks at event in Crete, expresses solidarity with Mohammed Khatib, urges Greek action for Palestine

8 February 2026

On Saturday, 7 February, liberated Palestinian prisoner Abdel-Nasser Issa, who spent 30 years in Zionist prisons, spoke remotely at an event in Heraklion, Crete, organized by the Assembly of Solidarity to the Palestinian People. This is the event that Samidoun Europe coordinator, Mohammed Khatib, had traveled to Crete to attend as a speaker when he was arrested at the Heraklion airport, detained, and told that he was ordered excluded from Greece for “national security” reasons. The event also included a presentation by Konstantina Kartsiotis of the Anti-Imperialist Front.

Rather than causing a cancellation or postponement of the event, the arrest and ongoing detention of Mohammed Khatib only encouraged greater attendance and enthusiasm for the event, which was fully packed to capacity to hear from Issa, a veteran Palestinian prisoner and a leader of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement, liberated in the Toufan al-Ahrar exchange in February 2025. During his presentation, he emphasized that the Palestinian cause is an international cause and requires action from the world, urging Greek people in particular to act:

“Our just Palestinian cause is primarily a human cause because it is a national liberation cause that concerns all free people of the world fighting for freedom and justice. Especially the dear Greek people and their vital forces, who have always stood by just causes, foremost among them, Palestinian national liberation from the clutches of the Zionist occupiers.”

He expressed solidarity with comrade Mohammed Khatib, emphasizing that repression and arrests must inspire greater organizing:

“We in Palestine need your efforts and your continued voices despite the persecution of free voices here in Europe and Greece. Most recently, the arrest of our dear Comrade Mohammed in an attempt to silence this voice. I urge you to keep raising the banner of justice supporting Palestine and the Palestinian people and supporting all causes of justice globally, among Arabs, in Europe, America, and everywhere. This is a proud, free voice that must not be silenced. The arrest of Comrade Mohammed should motivate us all to continue our struggle and fight for just causes, and specifically for Palestine. On the contrary, this will only strengthen and encourage us. We must not yield to tyrannical governments or governments that are hostage to narrow interests. When any government arrests and prosecutes Palestinian, Greek or European activists, they do so simply because they raise the banner of justice for Palestine, the banner against the Zionist occupation and the perpetrators of genocide led by the occupation’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. That is why they are being persecuted.”

He further called for action against the ongoing economic and military cooperation deals between the Greek and Cypriot governments and the Zionist entity:

“We must emphasize here that we hope and expect our dear, generous Greek people who have always stood against Nazism and fascism, and stand for human justice to reject the agreements made by the Greek government with the Zionist occupation, specifically regarding the gas. This is stolen Palestinian gas. It belongs to the Greek people too. This gas belongs to the people, not to governments driven by narrow interests and who prioritize the interests of dependent figures linked to foreign agendas over the people’s welfare.”

Watch the videos of his speech:

Abdel-Nasser Issa was liberated on 27 February 2025 in the Toufan al-Ahrar exchange and has continued to participate in international forums and events, including expressing solidarity for the hunger striking Prisoners for Palestine in British jails. Imprisoned since 1995, he was born in Balata refugee camp in Nablus in 1968. He joined the Hamas movement upon its launch and then the al-Qassam Brigades, carrying out multiple operations. Serving 2 life sentences, he became one of the leaders of the prisoners’ movement, serving as the representative of Hamas prisoners and one of the architects of the 2006 Prisoners’ Document, as well as writing multiple articles and studies behind bars.

Mohammed Khatib was a featured speaker at the event alongside Issa, and the European coordinator of Samidoun — a Palestinian refugee born in Ein el-Helweh camp in Lebanon — was arrested upon his arrival at Heraklion airport on the morning of Saturday, 7 February. He remains detained in a Greek detention center and has allegedly been slated for deportation, as part of the ongoing attack on Palestinian organizing and Palestine solidarity throughout Europe in complicity with Zionist/U.S. genocide in Gaza and throughout Palestine.

Samidoun participates in online forums with Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, highlighting prisoners’ struggle and the fight against repression

8 February 2026

Samidoun participated in the Masar Badil’s international online forum on the resistance on Saturday, February 7, discussing the case of Mohammed Khatib, Europe coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, currently detained in Greece after being arrested at Heraklion airport in Crete on his way to an event on the case of Palestinian prisoners in Zionist jails.

The forum featured a speech and interactive discussion with Hussam Badran, member of the Political Bureau of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement. Badran, a liberated prisoner freed by the Resistance in 2011 in the Wafa’ al-Ahrar exchange, spoke about the current situation in Gaza, the struggle of the Palestinian resistance to protect the people, the severe torture imposed upon the Palestinian prisoners today, the importance of the international movement for Palestine, and the importance of unity in confronting the genocidal Zionist assault.

Comrade Felix from Samidoun Brussels spoke following the main presentation and before the discussion period, highlighting the detention of Mohammed Khatib on Saturday morning and noting that this is part of an ongoing series of repressive attacks targeting Samidoun, including the ban on Samidoun in Germany, its “terror listing” in Canada and the United States, the ban on Mohammed Khatib entering Switzerland and the Netherlands, and the attempts of the Belgian far-right government to create new law, explicitly targeting Samidoun. He emphasized that Samidoun was not alone in this regard, highlighting the proscription of Palestine Action in Britain, the imprisonment of at least 10 Palestinians in Germany, the arrest and imprisonment of Palestinians in Italy, and the detention of Palestinian refugees in Belgium for organizing rallies against genocide, and noted that this repression is part and parcel of European complicity in Zionist genocide against the Palestinian people.

In the discussion section of the event, Badran responded to a wide range of questions, including discussing the so-called “Board of Peace” that the U.S. seeks to impose on Gaza and the world, the next steps for the Hamas movement, the ongoing Zionist/U.S. aggression against Lebanon, Iran and all resistance forces in the region, the mass outpourings in Yemen in support of Palestine, the role of Palestinians in shatat and exile, and the need for solidarity with Palestinian prisoners.

Watch the full video here: https://odysee.com/@masarbadil:9/Hussam-Badran-EN:1

This event comes one week after the launch of the series on Saturday 31 January, which featured a discussion with Sayyed Ammar Moussawi, head of Arab and international relations for Hezbollah. During his presentation, he delivered a comprehensive analysis of the situation facing Lebanon, Palestine, the region and the world, especially amid the onslaught of U.S. imperialism and Zionism. As part of the introduction of the event, which was facilitated by Mohammed Khatib, Charlotte Kates, international coordinator of Samidoun, spoke about the at least 20 Lebanese prisoners in the Zionist jails, their conditions and situation, and urged international solidarity and involvement in the growing campaign to free the Lebanese prisoners alongside the Palestinian prisoners in occupation and imperialist jails.

Watch the full event video here: https://odysee.com/@masarbadil:9/Ammar-MoussawiEN:2

These events are part of an ongoing series of discussions organized by the Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, to serve as a bridge between the forces of resistance in the region and the international revolutionary movements, political parties, and activists in support of Palestine around the world, including in the imperial core, where the resistance movements confront intense criminalization and labeling.

Khaled Barakat on Palestine Today TV: The detention of Mohammed Khatib is linked to the Greek-Cypriot-Zionist gas deal

8 February 2026

Khaled Barakat, member of the Executive Committee of the Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, appeared on Palestine Today TV on Saturday, 7 February 2026 to address the case of Mohammed Khatib, Europe coordinator of Samidoun, and his detention in Greece. On Saturday morning, Mohammed Khatib traveled from Athens to Heraklion airport in Crete in order to participate in an event in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, featuring an address by the liberated Palestinian prisoner Abdel-Nasser Issa.

He was prevented from leaving the airport, arrested and detained, and told that Greek authorities had issued an order banning him from the country on 24 December 2025 — only two days after the conclusion of the tenth Greece-Cyprus-“Israel” summit discussing joint economic ventures — including the transportation of stolen Palestinian gas to Europe — as well as security and military cooperation. He remains detained and threatened with deportation.

In the interview, Barakat highlighted the sharp contradictions between the support of the Greek people for Palestine and the role of the Greek government in complicity with Zionist genocide, noting the widespread support that Mohammed has already received. He also noted that the movement views such repression as a challenge to grow and confront Zionism and imperialism, noting that the evening event went forward as planned.

“After October 7th, all false claims about human rights and democracy in the West collapsed. Today, we have dozens of Palestinian and non-Palestinian prisoners in British, German, American prisons, and others. They are being detained without any legal basis or justification. Some people are losing their jobs. There are deportations and expulsions,” Barakat said, noting that the arrest of Mohammed Khatib is part and parcel of a policy of repression and targeting of the Palestinian movement in Europe and North America.

Barakat emphasized the role of the Palestinian people in shatat (exile and diaspora). “Palestine is present today all over the world, and the Palestinian shatat plays a crucial, essential role, and must play an even bigger role and mobilize further, so the shatat returns as a key participant in the resistance and a key participant in building a real revolutionary solidarity movement with the Palestinian people.”

He sharply criticized the Palestinian Authority’s embassies, noting that they play no role in defending the Palestinian people from repression around the world, let alone advocating for the expansion of the solidarity movement or the boycott of the Zionist entity. “When do you know that you are entering a Palestinian embassy? When you enter it and see pictures of the martyr Fathi Shaqaqi, George Habash, Marwan Barghouti, Ahmad Sa’adat, and Mohammed Deif. That is when it becomes a Palestinian embassy. But when you enter these so-called Palestinian embassies—the Authority’s embassies—they hang pictures of Mahmoud Abbas. Have you seen a single demonstration in the whole world, since the war of genocide began until today, raising a picture of Mahmoud Abbas? In any country, city, or capital? No one raises his picture. Because no one considers him the representative of the Palestinian people.”

Watch the interview (Arabic, with subtitles):

The Tunisian Initiative for Supporting Prisoners Condemns the Arrest of Mohammed Khatib by Greek Authorities

8 February 2026

The Tunisian Initiative for Supporting Prisoners condemned the arrest of Palestinian activist Mohammed Khatib, coordinator of the Samidoun Network in Europe, by Greek authorities. Khatib was arrested upon entering Greece to participate in a seminar dedicated to discussing the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.

The Initiative considered this arrest to be an arbitrary decision, made in response to Israeli pressure and demands aimed at targeting Al-Khatib and a number of activists supporting the Palestinian cause in Europe. The Initiative emphasized that these policies are part of a continuous Western approach to the Palestinian issue, despite the dangerous escalation of violence in the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The Initiative called on the Greek authorities to immediately release Mohammed Khatib, guarantee his right to freedom of movement and expression, and enable him to participate in solidarity activities with the Palestinian people organized by activists and supporters within Greece.

The initiative also condemned the new regional alliance between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, considering it part of a series of alliances aimed at supporting occupation policies, alongside other alliances with Arab states. In this context, it called on Arab and European peoples to escalate their opposition to these agreements.

In conclusion, the initiative emphasized the centrality of the Palestinian prisoners’ issue as a cornerstone of the Palestinian national struggle, calling on freedom-loving people worldwide, both in Tunisia and abroad, to intensify their efforts in support of prisoners in Israeli jails.

Samidoun Europe coordinator Mohammed Khatib detained and ordered deported from Greece in new attack on Palestine movement

7 February 2026

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network condemns in the strongest terms the Greek government’s arrest, detention, exclusion and planned deportation of Mohammed Khatib, European coordinator of Samidoun. Today, Saturday, 7 February, as he was traveling to Crete where he was scheduled to speak at an event in solidarity with Palestine, highlighting the struggle of the prisoners inside the occupation jails and the voices of liberated prisoners freed by the resistance, he was suddenly detained at Heraklion airport and told that he had been labeled inadmissible to Greece due to reasons of “national security.” His detention pending deportation is an official escalation against the Palestinian community and solidarity movement in Greece, and we demand his immediate release.

This order was allegedly issued on 24 December 2025 — only two days after the tenth “Greece-Cyprus-Israel tripartite summit.” It is clear that, contrary to the strong sentiments and solidarity of the Greek people with Palestine, the Greek government is once again carrying out the will of the Zionist entity, the United States and EU imperialist powers like Germany. The Greek people have repeatedly made clear, in mass marches and demonstrations, powerful direct actions, and labor actions rejecting cargo for the Zionist war machine, that they stand with Palestine and against the genocide — yet the right-wing Greek government has gone out of its way to deepen the state’s entanglement with the Zionist economy and military.

On 23 January, the Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, issued a call to the Greek movement, including workers, students, and political parties: “The almost weekly visits of Israeli ministers to Athens today reflect an accelerating Zionist infiltration inextricably linked to the imperialist project in our region. This infiltration aims to consolidate the influence of the criminal Zionist entity through oil, gas, and energy agreements in the Eastern Mediterranean, the relentless acquisition of land and real estate, and the integration of the Greek economy and infrastructure with the interests of the occupation and its security, economic, and military companies. This is all part of a broader effort to redraw the map of imperialist control over the region and transform Greece into a strategic outpost against the peoples of our region.”

Mohammed Khatib remains detained; as news of his detention spread, supporters gathered outside the central police station in Heraklion, Crete, carrying a banner: “Sumoud: The resistance will be victorious. Palestine will be liberated” and demanding his immediate release. Tonight’s event, at which he was scheduled to speak, in solidarity with the prisoners and the resistance, and for the liberation of Palestine, will continue at 6 pm at Mastraha 9, in Heraklion, Crete. We urge all to participate widely in this event to show support for Mohammed, for the Palestinian prisoners, and for the liberation of Palestine — especially at a moment when the occupation regime is continuing and escalating its daily war crimes and genocidal crimes against humanity throughout Palestine, and especially in the Gaza Strip.

This is only the latest repressive incident targeting the movement for Palestine, especially in Europe and North America, including the ongoing attacks on the Samidoun Network, denials of entry for Mohammed Khatib in the Netherlands, Switzerland and now Greece, attempts to confiscate his asylum status in Belgium, the ban on Samidoun in Germany and its designation on “anti-terror lists” in the United States and Canada. In Belgium, the far-right Arizona government is attempting to create a new law allowing it unprecedented authority to ban organizations, explicitly seeking to ban Samidoun. Of course, these attacks are far more widespread and target the movement as a whole, including the British proscription of Palestine Action, the attempt to prosecute dozens of direct actionists (including six who won their case just days ago), the arrests of prominent Palestinian community leaders in Italy, the imprisonment of over 10 Palestinians in Germany, the ongoing use of “apology for terrorism” allegations in France to criminalize activists, and the targeting of Palestinian students and youth in the United States, including Mahmoud Khalil and Leqaa Kordia, for detention and deportation. All of these attacks are part and parcel of imperialist complicity with and direct involvement in genocide — and the attacks on Samidoun are part of the targeting of the nearly 10,000 Palestinians jailed in occupation prisons.

We urge all supporters of Palestine to respond to repression with organizing and action, to escalate our activities in support of the Palestinian people and their struggle for return and liberation, to stand with Gaza under siege and under fire from the genocidal forces and subjected to the pseudo-ceasefire of the “Board of Peace,” and to organize wide-scale protests, actions, educational events, disruptive activities and mobilizations for the liberation of the Palestinian prisoners inside the Zionist and imperialist jails, and the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea.

Solidarity with Mohammed Khatib!

Free all Palestinian prisoners!

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!

Call to action for January 31, International Day to Free the Palestinian Prisoners

30 January 2026

In many cities around the world, people and organizations are marking today, January 31 as an international day of action for the freedom of Palestinian political prisoners inside the occupation jails. Launched by the Red Ribbons Campaign and the Global Campaign to Save the Prisoners, the call to action highlights both the horrific conditions under which nearly 10,000 Palestinians are imprisoned by the Zionist regime as well as the escalated threats to their lives and the legitimization of the policy of assassination embodied in notorious fascist Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s new proposed legislation for the execution of imprisoned Palestinians.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges people around the world to participate in today’s actions and demonstrations, join these campaigns, and organize events in support of the liberation of imprisoned Palestinians. There are nearly 10,000 Palestinians held in the occupation’s jails, ranging from hundreds of children to leaders of the Palestinian liberation movement like Marwan Barghouthi, Abdullah Barghouthi, Ahmad Sa’adat, Hassan Salameh, Ibrahim Hamed, Anas Jaradat, Jamal Abu al-Haija, Muammar Shahrour and Mohammed Arman. There are 53 women held in the occupation’s notorious Damon prison. All of the imprisoned Palestinians have been subjected to severe physical and psychological torture and mass starvation; nearly 100 Palestinians have been martyred in the occupation’s jails since Al-Aqsa Flood and the launch of the occupation’s genocide on Gaza. In addition, there are over 20 Lebanese prisoners held in Zionist jails, dozens of Syrians, and dozens more Palestinians and advocates for Palestinian liberation jailed in imperialist prisons, in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, Austria and other imperialist states.

Take the streets today and raise your voices for their liberation — at the heart of the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.

Below is a list of some of the actions taking place around the world — please do not hesitate to send us a link to your actions at samidoun@samidoun.net!

Britain

London – Saturday, 31 January 2026 – 11:30 am, Russell Square (outside the Eastern entrance)
Manchester – Saturday, 31 January 2026 – 1 pm (13:00), Market Street (Outside Tesco), City Center
Newcastle – Saturday, 31 January 2026 – 12:30 pm, Grey’s Monument, Haymarket, next to St Thomas Church

Canada

Montreal – Saturday, 31 January 2026 – 1 pm, Zionist Consulate, 1 Westmount Square
Ottawa – Saturday, 31 January 2026 – 1 pm, Human Rights Monument
Quebec City – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 6 pm, Place de l’Assemblee Nationale
Saint John – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 12 pm, Intifada Trail (King Street, Market Square)
Toronto – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 1 pm, Yonge and Bloor

Colombia

Bogota – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 3 pm, British Consulate, CRA 11A #93-95

Cyprus

Limassol – Saturday, 31 January 2026 – 11:30 am – Cafe “Sto Dromo”, 21 Genethliou Mitella, Limassol

Finland

Helsinki – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 15:00 (3 pm), Rautatientori

France

Montpellier – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 14:00 (2 pm), Place de la Comedie

Germany

Bonn – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 15:00 (3 pm), Bonn Bad Godesberg
Hamburg – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 14:00 (2 pm), Hachmannplatz (Hbf Hamburg)
Hannover – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 15:00 (3 pm), Hauptbahnhof
Oldenburg – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 14:00 (2 pm), Lefferseck, Oldenburg
Ravensburg – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 16:00 (4 pm), Marienplatz

Greece

Athens – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 12 pm, Klafthmonos Square

Indonesia

Bandung – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 15:30 (3:30 pm) – Monumen Prasasti Dasa Sila Bandung

Ireland

Kilkenny – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 1 pm (13:00), The Parade

Italy

Milano – Sunday 1 February 2026 – 15:00 (3 pm), Piazza Castello
Torino – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 14:30 (2:30 pm), Porta Nuova

Jordan

Amman – Saturday 31 January – 6 pm, Headquarters of the Democratic Party of Jordan, Jabal al-Hussein

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur – Saturday 31 January – 5 pm, KLCC Park

Mexico

San Luis Potosi – Sunday 1 February 2026 – 11:00 am, Jardin de Tequis

Morocco

Rabat – Friday, January 30, 2026 – 5:30 pm, in front of Parliament Building in Rabat

Netherlands

Amsterdam – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 14:00 (2 pm), Dam Square

New Zealand/Aotearoa

Auckland – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11:00 am – Te Komititanga Square

Norway

Stavanger – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 15:00 (3 pm) – Torget i Stavanger

Palestine

Bethlehem – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11 am – Prisoners Roundabout
Jenin – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11 am – Martyrs Roundabout
Jericho – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11 am – Medina Roundabout
Al-Khalil – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11 am – Ibn Rushd Roundabout
Nablus – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11 am – Martyrs Roundabout
Qalqilya – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11 am – Al-Shaimaa Roundabout
Ramallah – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11 am – Manara Roundabout
Tubas – Saturday 31 January 2026 -11 am – Martyrs Roundabout
Tulkarem – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 11 am – Thabit Roundabout

Poland

Krakow – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 17:00 (5 pm), Spoldzielna Ogniwo, Smolki 11A

Scotland

Edinburgh – Saturday, 31 January 2026 – 13:00 (1 pm), Foot of the Mound, Edinburgh City Center

Spanish State

Barcelona – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 12 pm – Passeig de Gracia – Diagonal

Sweden

Norrköping – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 13:00 (1 pm) – Hörsalsparken
Stockholm – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 13:00 (1 pm) – Odenplan

Tunisia

Monastir – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 17:00 (5 pm), Arts Square
Tunis – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 15:00 (3 pm), In front of the Municipal theatre
Sfax – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 15:30 (3:30 pm), Bab Diwan Square
Sousse – Saturday 31 January 2026 – 15:30 (3:30 pm), In front of Soula Center

Anan Yaeesh sentenced to 5 years and 6 months; Ali and Mansour acquitted: Free all Palestinian prisoners in Italian jails!

17 January 2026

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!

Palestinian political prisoners in Italy: Anan Yaeesh, Ali Irar and Mansour Doghmosh face sentencing; hearing on the detention of the Palestinian 7

15 January 2026

Friday, 16 January marks an important day for several Palestinian political prisoners in Italy, with a sentencing hearing in the case of Anan Yaeesh, Ali Irar and Mansour Doghmosh in L’Aquila, simultaneous with a hearing on the detention of Mohammad Hannoun, Ra’ed Dawoud, Yasser Elasaly, Raed Al-Salahat, Reyad Albustanji, Khalil Abu Deiah and Adel Abu Rawwa — the Palestinian 7 — in Genoa. Along with the Italian government’s expression of political support for the Zionist occupation and its genocide of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, the Italian state has dramatically escalated its criminalization of Palestinians and the Palestine solidarity movement.

The case of Anan Yaeesh — who has remained imprisoned since his arrest in January 2024, after the “Israeli” occupation requested his extradition to occupied Palestine, accused of participating in the Rapid Response Groups of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (the armed wing of the Fateh movement, that participates in the Resistance) in Tulkarem — and Ali Irar and Mansour Doghmosh, is paradigmatic. Resistance to occupation, even in the very clearly internationally recognized occupied lands of the West Bank, is labeled as “terrorism,” despite the fact that armed resistance to foreign occupation and colonization is a right under international law. The persecution of Anan, Ali, and Mansour is a direct attack on Palestinian resistance — and on the right itself to resist and seek liberation from colonialism and occupation.

On 16 January, their sentencing is scheduled; prosecutors have demanded 12 years in prison for Anan Yaeesh, nine for Ali Irar, and seven for Mansour Doghmosh. These Palestinians have seen a growing support movement for their freedom in Italy, alongside the movement for the liberation of Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza — at the same time that the state has escalated its repression. Protests are being organized in at least the following cities:

L’Aquila: Gather at 9:30 am on Friday, 16 January outside the Tribunale Dell’Aquila, Via XX Settembre, 68
Bergamo: Gather at 5 pm (17h) on Friday, 16 January in Porta Nuova (Piazza Gaza)
Pisa: Gather at 11:30 am, Friday, 16 January, Piazza XX Settembre

Buses are also being organized from Rome, Firenze, Bologna and Milano to support Anan, Ali and Mansour. Anan Yaeesh was actually transferred to the Melfi detention center from his previous prison, closer to Rome, after the mass general strike for Palestine in Italy — in order to deprive him of support. At the last hearing in the case, on 19 December, over 200 people attended to demand freedom for Anan, Ali and Mansour and an end to the criminalization of Palestinian resistance — leading to the sentencing being postponed to 16 January. During that hearing, Anan Yaeesh made a spontaneous statement to the judge, as follows:

If I was born in Palestine, it was not my choice. It was a gift of life.

But if I resist, it is a choice, it is my will, it is my decision. To defend our people, our land, and our children, who have been killed every day since 1948 until today by the Israelis. And this decision is the best thing I have done in my life.

It is a mistake to think that those who resist do not love life. We love life more than anyone else, but we want a life of freedom, not a life of oppression. We want a good life, free and safe for our children. That is why we give our lives for our people.

Whether you sentence me and I remain in prison, or whether I am freed, it changes nothing. I love and will always love the Italian people. Italian partisans are part of us, and we are part of them. The Italian people are rising up; I have never seen such a movement anywhere else in the world. This movement is a true tidal wave.

Thank you to the Flotilla and to all those who help the Palestinian people put an end to the genocide. They all do it for us, without ties of blood or language, simply because they share the same love for humanity and for freedom.

The Italian people are, as always, the first to resist for us.

Your Honor, Resistance is an idea, and an idea never dies. Even if we die, we remain alive in the heart of our people. We live in the hearts of all those who love freedom.

Nelson Mandela lives in our hearts.
Che Guevara lives in our hearts.
Yasser Arafat lives in our hearts.
George Habash lives in our hearts.
Jihad Shihade lives in our hearts.
Abu Shujaa lives in our hearts.
Tamer Al-Kilani lives in our hearts.

Long live Arab Palestine, Palestinian and free.
Long live the Palestinian resistance until freedom.
Long live Palestinian youth in Italy and throughout the entire world.

Freedom for all prisoners who struggle for freedom.
Freedom for our prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Freedom for our father Marwan Barghouti.

One day, a Palestinian child will raise the flag of a free Palestine!
Long live Arab, Palestinian Palestine!
Long live the resistance until freedom!

Thank you.

19/12/2025
Melfi Detention Center

Anan Yaeesh

Simultaneously, at 9 am on Friday, 16 April, the Court of Genoa will review the detention of the Palestinian 7, seized on 27 December 2025 in a series of coordinated raids and attacks. Mohammad Hannoun — president of the Associazione dei Palestinesi in Italia (API) — Ra’ed Dawoud, Yasser Elasaly, Khalil Abu Deiah, Adel Abu Rawwa, Raed Al-Salahat and Reyad Albustanji, were all seized by Italian police for their charitable work in support of Palestine, based entirely on “Israeli” allegations and the constant effort of the occupier to deprive the Palestinian people of aid and support. The targeted Palestinians have been subjected to a wide-ranging media smear campaign and stand “accused” of organizing the donation of millions of Euro to Palestinian institutions, orphans, and needy people, and are particularly targeted for including the families of martyrs and prisoners in their support.

As in the case of Anan, Ali and Mansour, the case targets Palestinian resistance and organizing; the seven are accused of membership in and supporting Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, particularly for their work in the Gaza Strip, on the basis of Zionist intelligence claims. Previously, their charitable organizations have been subjected to U.S. sanctions and coercive economic measures — equally designed to aid and abet genocide by denying aid to the targeted Palestinian population. All seven of the men have been declared “flight risks” and are being held in pretrial detention. Large demonstrations in various cities, including a mass march in Milano on 10 January, have already demanded their release.

Today, at 10 am, at Piazza Portoria, outside the Tribunal de Genova, the API is organizing a demonstration for the freedom of the targeted Palestinians and against the criminalization of the Palestinian community.

Tomorrow, on 17 January, there will be a mass gathering in Milano, at Via Palestro (Angolo C. So Venezia, Palestro M1) at 3 pm (15h), marching to Piazza Scala, in solidarity with all of the Palestinian political prisoners in Italy — Mohammad Hannoun, Ra’ed Dawoud, Yasser Elasaly, Khalil Abu Deiah, Reyad Albustanji, Adel Abu Rawwa, Raed Al-Salahat, Anan Yaeesh, Ali Irar, Mansour Doghmosh and Ahmed Salem.

The defense attorneys for the Palestinian 7 issued a statement against the integration of Zionist military intelligence in the Italian courts:

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE MATERIALS CANNOT BE THE BASIS FOR CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS

THE COURT OF JUSTICE IS NOT A BATTLEFIELD

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The undersigned defense attorneys involved in the ongoing trial for alleged terrorism financing in Genoa consider it necessary to publicly denounce a serious distortion of the principles of the rule of law, international criminal cooperation, and fundamental guarantees of criminal proceedings, starting from the presumption of innocence, which is once again openly violated.

The ongoing judicial initiative on alleged terrorism financing does not concern criminally established conduct, but the transmission and circulation of information acquired in a war scenario, originating from a context of ongoing armed conflict and produced by foreign security agencies.

It must be clarified with absolute clarity: these are not judicial evidence, but intelligence material. Unvalidated information, not subject to judicial control, lacking the ability to be properly challenged and the minimum guarantees of reliability required in a state of law.

It is an undeniable fact that the State of Israel systematically refuses to submit to the rules of international criminal justice, even evading the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, even in the face of serious and documented accusations of international crimes. It is therefore legally and politically unacceptable that the same state simultaneously claims to exploit the mechanisms of international criminal cooperation to export unilateral investigative allegations, unverified and in service of an ongoing armed conflict.

No Israeli judge has ever validated the investigative hypotheses now invoked. They remain entirely the prerogative of the security services, which operate under the direct control of the executive and within a clearly warlike logic. Importing such materials into the criminal process means breaking down the essential distinction in a democracy between war and justice.

Additionally, a fact that cannot be ignored is that completely similar proceedings, initiated in the past in various Italian courts on the basis of overlapping investigative assumptions, have already been dismissed after in-depth investigations by the Italian judiciary, highlighting the absence of criminally relevant elements and the unsuitability of the transmitted information to support a charge in court.

Reproposing the same hypotheses today means persisting in an investigative logic that deliberately ignores previous judicial decisions and empties the principle of legality of its meaning.

It is particularly serious, moreover, that the presumption of innocence is systematically trampled upon through public statements and guilt-oriented media narratives, which anticipate the judgment and transform the investigation into a conviction, in open contrast with Article 27 of the Constitution, with European law, and with the principles of a fair trial.

The use of purely intelligence-based information as the basis of internal criminal proceedings represents a dangerous slide towards a criminal law of the enemy, in which categories and tools proper to war are transferred to ordinary justice, with devastating effects on fundamental rights.

Finally, we denounce the concrete risk of an indirect criminalization of an entire community, targeted not for criminally established conduct, but for cultural, religious, and solidarity-based ties with a population involved in an armed conflict.

International criminal cooperation cannot turn into a channel for legitimizing intelligence narratives produced by a warring party, nor be bent to political or military purposes. In the absence of effective, independent, and transparent judicial control over the origin and reliability of the information transmitted, any use of it in criminal proceedings is legally fragile and democratically dangerous.

The defense team will continue to oppose this drift in every forum, reiterating that justice cannot be selective, asymmetric, or subordinated to the logic of conflict, and that criminal law is not — nor should it become — a weapon of war.

The Defenders

• Nicola Canestrini
• Fausto Gianelli
• Elisa Marino
• Gilberto Pagani
• Pier Poli
• Marina Prosperi
• Nabil Ryah
• Dario Rossi
• Flavio Rossi Albertini
• Giuseppe Sambataro
• Fabio Sommovigo
• Emanuele Tambuscio
• Gianluca Vitale
• Samuele Zucchini

Four days later, on 20 January, Ahmad Salem, a 24-year-old Palestinian refugee born in the Baddawi refugee camp in Lebanon, will face a hearing at 12 noon at the Campobasso court. After he applied for asylum, his phone was seized and he is accused of engaging in “terrorist propaganda” on the basis of making a video calling for people to organize and act against the ongoing genocide in Gaza and throughout occupied Palestine. He has now been imprisoned for 10 months. Outside the Campobasso court, the 4 September movement is organizing a solidarity demonstration at 12 pm on Tuesday, 20 January, to demand Ahmad’s freedom.

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Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network reiterates our solidarity with and call for the immediate release of all of the imprisoned and targeted Palestinians and fellow activists, an end to the persecution of Palestinians and Palestine solidarity organizers, and full recognition of the legitimacy of Palestinian resistance:

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network demands the immediate release of Mohammed Hannoun, Raed Dawoud, Yasser el-Assaly, Anan Yaeesh, Ali Irar, Mansour Doghmosh and Ahmed Salem and the return of the funds of the targeted organizations, as well as a full end to Italian support, complicity, trade and military commerce with the Zionist regime. This is a moment when independent, community-based support for the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, is more urgent than ever, as the Zionist regime, with full U.S. and European imperialist support, is aiming to accomplish what it could not through its genocidal bombs through siege, starvation, the continued closure of the Rafah crossing, and the denial of fundamental needs. The work of these organizations is most desperately needed now — and this is precisely why they have been targeted.

As we noted at the time of Samidoun’s designation:

“Like the Zionist entity fears the Palestinian resistance, so do the imperialist powers fear the Palestinian diaspora and their supporters that have been rising up again and again, especially since the start of operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the Zionist genocide. They fear a strong, popular movement that threatens their economic and political interests in Palestine and the region.”

Once again, the imperialist powers are making clear that they are more than willing to carry out intense repression, criminalization and imprisonment in order to aid and abet genocide. We urge the movement for Palestine — in Italy, throughout Europe, and internationally — to rally around all of the targeted individuals and organizations, and to not allow the tactics of state terror and fear to divide us.

Further, it is long past time for all Palestinian, Lebanese and regional resistance organizations — let alone charitable, community, activist and humanitarian initiatives — to be removed from so-called “terrorist lists” — in Italy, in Europe, in the U.S. and around the world. The Palestinian people, and all occupied peoples, have the right to resist their occupation, to defend themselves, to liberate their land, and to organize to achieve those goals.

For the solidarity movement’s work to be meaningful and effective, it must act to support the Palestinian Resistance organizations — and, indeed, to coordinate with them on the broadest possible level. We must redouble our efforts to escalate our resistance and globalize the intifada in the streets of the cities of the world, for the freedom of all of our prisoners in Zionist and imperialist jails, and for the freedom of Palestine, from the river to the sea.

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