Facebook Instagram Mail RSS Telegram Twitter Youtube
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Home Blog Page 521

ECCP and Samidoun joint appeal to parliamentarians on the death of Omar Nayef Zayed

omarnayef

The European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine (ECCP) and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network issued a joint appeal to all Members of European Parliament on the killing of Omar Nayef Zayed, on 26 February 2016. ECCP and Samidoun will be following up this letter with an ongoing push for transparency, justice and accountability for the taking of the life of Zayed, a former Palestinian prisoner sought for extradition from Bulgaria to the Israeli occupation.  The letter was written and sent hours after Nayef Zayed was pronounced dead in Sofia. Both organizations had been working together to advocate against the extradition of Nayef Zayed. The text of the appeal follows:

Dear Members of the European Parliament,

We write today with heavy hearts and extreme distress about an incident that has just occurred in Sofia, Bulgaria. Omar Nayef Zayed, the former Palestinian prisoner currently pursued for extradition by Israel and Bulgarian police, was found dead yesterday morning inside the Palestinian embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he had taken refuge from the extradition request.

Omar’s case was a critical case for Palestinians in Europe; he had lived in Bulgaria for the past 22 years as a permanent resident, with his Bulgarian-citizen wife and three Bulgarian-citizen children. He fled Israeli imprisonment after a 40-day hunger strike in 1990; the threat of his extradition on the basis of his conviction by an Israeli court trying Palestinians from the West Bank in an unfair trial, after being subject to torture, held severe concerns not only for him as an individual but for all Palestinians in Europe who could face such threats.

Bulgarian police are reporting that it appears that Omar fell from a high story in the embassy building into its garden; they are also reporting that it is “not excluded” that he was pushed in order to cause the fall. Both Israeli and Palestinian media are reporting that Omar Nayef Zayed was the victim of an assassination in Sofia this morning.

Bulgarian police have closed off the street where the embassy is located and are carrying out an investigation. Due to the politically sensitive nature of this case and its high level of international importance, it is critical that Omar Nayef Zayed receive an independent autopsy and a full, transparent and independent investigation of his death in order to hold those responsible accountable.

Israeli intelligence agencies have in the past carried out assassinations on European territory, like those of Naim Khader, Mahmoud Hamshari, Wael Zuaiter and others. Omar’s family and Palestinian officials have declared Omar’s death an assassination; the fact that Israeli media is already reporting his death as an assassination lends further support to this statement. The assassination and killing of a former Palestinian prisoner in Europe is not acceptable and must not be allowed to pass by without serious investigation and international accountability.

We urge you to contact your Bulgarian colleagues and Bulgarian officials to urge the highest level of investigation into the case of Omar Nayef Zayed, and to register your interest in this case of major international import.

Sincerely,

European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

 

Photos: New Yorkers celebrate end of Mohammed al-Qeeq’s hunger strike, protest Omar Nayef Zayed’s death

Image8

Activists in New York protested outside the offices of security multinational G4S on Friday, 26 February, in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners, focusing on the cases of Mohammed al-Qeeq and Omar Nayef Zayed.

Al-Qeeq, 33, a Palestinian journalist held in Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial, announced an end to his 94-day hunger strike earlier on Friday, with the conclusion of an agreement to end his imprisonment and secure his freedom.

Nayef Zayed, 52, was found dead in the garden of the Palestinian Embassy in Bulgaria on Fridsy morning. Palestinian political forces and his family have all expressed outrage and labelled the killing an assassination; a former Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails, Zayed was staying in the Palestinian embassy to take refuge from an extradition request by the Israeli state to Bulgaria. Zayed had been taking refuge in the embassy since December 2015 and was the subject of an international campaign for his freedom; he lived in Bulgaria for 22 years after escaping Israel imprisonment in 1990 and fleeing Palestine.

The demonstration, part of weekly actions organized by Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network in New York City, was joined by representatives of Filipino and Pakistani community organizations, Bernadette Ellorin of BAYAN USA and Comrade Shahid of the Pakistan USA Freedom Forum.

Image14

The weekly protests focus on G4S, subject to an international call for boycott, including an appeal from Palestinian prisoners. The massive security corporation provides equipment and control rooms to Israeli prisons and interrogation centers and checkpoints, supplying the structure of oppression, occupation and torture. Protesters demand G4S – which also is involved in human rights violations in the US, Canada, South Africa, UK, Australia and elsewhere – get out of Palestine, and are calling on institutions to end their contracts with the corporation, including the United Nations.

Photos by Joe Catron

Rasmea Defense Committee celebrating today, planning next steps

rasmea
Yesterday’s ruling from the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals represents a great victory in the case of Rasmea Odeh, the legendary Palestinian American icon who was convicted of a politically motivated immigration violation in 2014, and sentenced to 18 months in prison and deportation last year.

There were some early press and other reports yesterday that were erroneous, stating that the “conviction was overturned” altogether, but that is not the case.  The 3-judge appeals panel determined that Gershwin Drain, the trial judge who sentenced Rasmea, wrongfully barred expert torture witness, Dr. Mary Fabri, from testifying at the trial.  According to lead defense attorney Michael Deutsch, “The case will be remanded [sent back to Drain] for a determination as to the admissibility of the expert testimony.  The appellate court has essentially ruled that it was an error for Drain to have kept that testimony out.”

Judge Drain originally ruled that Fabri’s testimony was not relevant because the violation was a “general intent” crime as opposed to a “specific intent” one, stating that her state of mind does not need to be considered. The appellate panel disagreed: “Regardless of whether [it] was a specific or general intent crime,” the ruling states, “Dr. Fabri’s…testimony is relevant to whether Odeh knew that her statements were false.  The district court accordingly erred in…excluding this testimony.”

If Judge Drain cannot determine if there are other legal avenues that will allow him to exclude the expert testimony, Rasmea will be granted a new trial, which will finally allow her to tell the entire story of Israel forcing her to falsely confess to bombings in 1969, when she endured over three weeks of vicious sexual, physical, and psychological torture at the hands of the Israeli military.

That Israeli military court “conviction” is what ultimately led to the U.S. federal charge against her almost 45 years later.  In the appeal, Rasmea’s lawyers had also argued that the prosecution should not have been allowed to use documents from the Israeli military court during the trial, stating that the details from that court were “prejudicial” and “irrelevant” in a case dealing with alleged immigration fraud.  In the ruling, one of the appellate judges agreed that those details should have been excluded.

U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Tukel, who are responsible for the original indictment against Rasmea in 2013, can file a motion asking the Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision.  Barring that, Judge Drain must make a determination, which could mean another evidentiary hearing in Detroit.

“This isn’t a full victory yet, of course,” said Nesreen Hasan of the Rasmea Defense Committee in Chicago, “but it really is what we were hoping for and anticipating at this stage. The conviction wasn’t overturned altogether, but at least Judge Drain will be forced to rethink his decision on the torture evidence.  And we are confident that Rasmea will get a new trial!”

Organizers with the defense committee, which represents over 50 institutions across the country, have been waiting for a decision in the appeal since last October, and are celebrating the result today.  If the court had upheld the conviction, Rasmea’s supporters were prepared to carry out emergency response protests in dozens of U.S. cities.

“With this decision, instead of emergency protests, we’re doing everything we can to ensure that Rasmea finally gets the chance to tell her story in court,” said Frank Chapman, another leader of the committee and a prominent Black police accountability and anti-torture organizer in Chicago. “When the evidence is heard, Rasmea will be exonerated, because a jury will recognize that the only crimes in this case are Israel’s war against the Palestinian people and our U.S. government’s complicity.”

Considering that there will be much more legal and community-based organizing work ahead, the Rasmea Defense Committee is asking for continued financial support.

“Rasmea and we are celebrating our victory today, and are thankful for the work of our great lawyers and the thousands of people across the U.S. and the world who have stood with her,” said Lara Kiswani of the committee’s Bay Area chapter. “And besides fundraising, we want everyone to continue to organize educational events, like ourInternational Women’s Day celebrations honoring Rasmea in San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis, and other cities.”

Mohammed al-Qeeq suspends hunger strike in agreement after 94 days

qeeqqqqq

On Friday, 26 February, after completing 94 days of hunger strike, Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq suspended his strike in an agreement announced by the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society. He was joined in his hospital room by Palestinian members of Knesset, other Palestinians from ’48 who have been by his bedside for weeks and legal representatives for the announcement.

According to the terms of the agreement, al-Qeeq’s administrative detention will end on 21 May 2016. He will be treated in Israeli hospitals before that time, and he will receive family visits that have been denied up to this point.

Al-Qeeq, 33, a Palestinian journalist for al-Majd TV, was arrested by Israeli occupation forces on 21 November 2015 in a violent raid on his home. On 25 November, he announced the start of his hunger strike after 15-hour periods of being shackled to a chair in stress positions and threats of sexual violence and assault. He continued his hunger strike for 94 days, demanding an end to administrative detention without charge or trial, as despite an Israeli Supreme Court “suspension” of his detention, he continued to be denied family visits, including from his wife Fayha and two small children, as well as treatment at a Palestinian hospital. Fayha called the agreement a “very big victory” in a media statement. He is now receiving medical treatment and examinations.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Network salutes the steadfastness of Mohammed al-Qeeq, a true example of the resistance of Palestinian prisoners struggling constantly for freedom and liberation, for themselves and the entire Palestinian people.

We note that while this agreement has been reached, it has not yet been implemented, and that it is critical that the eyes of the world remain on the Israeli state to ensure the protection of the life and health of Mohammed al-Qeeq and that he is freed as agreed upon.

Further, it is appalling that in order to achieve even the vaguest kind of justice, a Palestinian must be on his deathbed and nearly starving to death at 94 days of hunger strike. It is also appalling that a Palestinian needs to be on hunger strike for 60 days – longer than many people are able to live at all without food – in order to begin to garner international attention or any kind of media coverage.

It is also critical that the international solidarity movement with Palestine highlights and amplifies the voices of Palestinian prisoners – not just those on hunger strike, but all Palestinian prisoners and their collective demands for freedom – early, constantly, and often. We cannot allow the Israeli attempt to isolate, silence and suppress Palestinian prisoners to succeed. We salute all of the organizations, activists and leaders around the world who have spoken up clearly on the case of Mohammed al-Qeeq, as we continue to struggle together for freedom for all Palestinian prisoners.

Photo by Mohammed Kana’aneh, Palestinian leader from ’48, taken at al-Qeeq’s hospital bed following the announcement of the agreement and the end of his strike.

BREAKING: Omar Nayef Zayed assassinated inside Palestinian embassy in Bulgaria

omarandrania

UPDATE/11:44 am/26 February: Bulgarian media and police sources are reporting that Omar was killed by falling from a high story of the building. They have noted that him being pushed is “not excluded.”  “Israeli media have been the first to report explicitly that Omar was ‘assassinated.’ This comes as no surprise. They’re simply the most knowledgeable and honest about the workings of their government and its intelligence agencies,” said Joe Catron of Samidoun.

Omar Nayef Zayed, a former Palestinian political prisoner and escaped hunger striker whose extradition from Bulgaria Israel demanded in December, was found dead this morning inside the Palestinian embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he had sought refuge.

“Omar Nayef Zayed was targeted as a Palestinian, as a struggler, as a former political prisoner,” Charlotte Kates, international coordinator of Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, said. “His case, his targeting and his assassination were an attempt to demonstrate that no Palestinian anywhere is safe from the long arms of the Israeli occupation. This is clearly a threat to all Palestinians – especially former prisoners and veterans of the struggle in Europe. We are committed to stand with the family of Omar Nayef Zayed to pursue accountability for those responsible for taking his life and to build the movement for which his life was taken – for a free Palestine.”

The precise physical cause of Omar’s death is not yet clear, but it is clear that the cause of his death is the Israeli state’s vengeance against a Palestinian struggler committed to live free for himself and for all of his fellow Palestinians. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network demands an independent autopsy of Omar’s body and a full investigation by Bulgarian and Palestinian officials into the death of Omar. We demand that all those responsible for the targeting of Omar Nayef Zayed and the taking of his life be held fully accountable.

“We hold Israel and its intelligence services, the Palestinian Authority and the Bulgarian government responsible for the killing of Omar Nayef Zayed, whose life was taken as he lived his life, in the struggle for freedom for Palestine,” Mohammed Khatib, a Brussels, Belgium-based member of Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, said.  “He was assassinated; he was not protected; and he was constantly threatened and pursued.  The Israeli intelligence services have a long history of pursuing and assassinating Palestinians around the world – especially in Europe – targeting young leaders and veteran resisters for assassination and elimination. This outrageous crime happened inside the Palestinian embassy, inside Bulgaria. The killers and those who made this killing possible must be held accountable.”

Zayed, 52, was born in Jenin, in Palestine’s West Bank. He was arrested by occupation forces in May 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment. After a 40 day hunger strike in 1990, he was transferred to a hospital in Bethlehem where he escaped in May, disappeared and left Palestine.

In 1994, he traveled to Bulgaria. Omar married a Bulgarian citizen and has Bulgarian children; he runs a Palestinian grocery and is well-known in the Palestinian community of Sofia.

On Tuesday, 15 December, the Israeli embassy sent a letter to the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice demanding the extradition of Omar Nayef Zayed, labeling him a “fugitive from justice.”

Omar’s home was raided on Thursday, 17 December. He was not home and his son was arrested for one day. The Bulgarian prosecutor was quoted in Arabic media calling for his imprisonment and quick extradition to Tel Aviv.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network salutes and mourns Omar Nayef Zayed, a former Palestinian political prisoner who struggled all his life for the freedom of Palestine and the Palestinian people. We extend our deepest condolences to the family of Omar Nayef Zayed, in Palestine, in Bulgaria and everywhere, and to the entire movement for the liberation of Palestine,  which has had a loving father and husband and a committed struggler for a free Palestine taken away at the hands of those who would see Palestine, and its people, forever imprisoned.  We are committed to working in all ways to hold those responsible for his death fully accountable for this vicious crime against the Palestinian people, and to struggle for the freedom – of Palestinian prisoners and of Palestine itself – which Omar Nayef Zayed held so dear. 

Brussels and Toulouse creative actions call for freedom for imprisoned Palestinian circus teacher Mohammed Abu Sakha

toulousesakha2

Protesters and clowns took to the street in Brussels, Belgium on 21 February and Toulouse, France on 20 February in solidarity with imprisoned Palestinian circus teacher and performer Mohammed Abu Sakha. Abu Sakha, 24, teaches children with disabilities at the Palestinian Circus School; he has performed internationally with the school, which partners with fellow circuses around the world. A part of the school for five years, Abu Sakha was coming to work in Bir Zeit from his home in Jenin when he was stopped at an Israeli occupation checkpoint and arrested before quickly being ordered into administrative detention without charge or trial for a six-month period.

An international call for his release, from circus performers, solidarity groups and human rights institutions, has been mounting since his arrest. Many of the actions highlighting Abu Sakha’s case have been organized by fellow circus performers in Europe and around the world.

The Brussels action for Abu Sakha, which came before a joint fundraiser for popular medical services clinics in Gaza and Brussels including a panel discussion on Belgian trade missions with the Israeli state, included street-theater performances in which mock “G4S” security arrest the clown leading the protest. Samidoun activists participated in the event along with activists from a number of local organizations.

Photos:

Video:

 

The Toulouse protest, which included circus performances and the “caging” and “releasing” of a giant portrait of Abu Sakha, street theater, and balloon art, as participants wore red noses to highlight Abu Sakha’s performance as a clown.

Photos:

Photo: Toulouse protest to free Mohammed Abu Sakha in 2016

The #FreeAbuSakha campaign continues to build for his release.

Take action – join the campaign:

1. Sign the online petition calling for Abu Sakha’s release:https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Israeli_Defense_Forces_Free_circus_trainer_and_artist_Mohammed_Faisal_Abu_Sakha/

2. Take the action called for by Amnesty International:

3. Organize a protest performance – or a simple leaflet distribution – in your community. Hand out the “Free Abu Sakha” leaflets  and help support freedom for an imprisoned Palestinian artist. Share it withSamidoun and the Free Abu Sakha facebook.

G4S loses major contract in Colombia after BDS campaign

Posted on 25 February, 2016 by the the Palestinian BDS National Committee

g4s-securing-apartheidCrepes & Waffles, a major restaurant chain in Colombia, has decided to end a contract with G4S after a year-long BDS campaign against the multinational security company in the country. More than 1,400 people signed a petition and hundreds of the chain’s clients delivered it by hand to the managers of the chain’s restaurants in various locations, prompting Crepes & Waffles to inform BDS Colombia of their decision to drop the G4S contract for securing the transit of cash and valuables.

A prominent Colombian restaurant chain, Crepes & Waffles has branches in 6 other countries in Latin America and in Spain. The company has a good reputation for hiring people usually outside the labor market. BDS Colombia has argued that contracting G4S contradicted the chain’s ethical principles and offended many of its loyal clients. Crepes & Waffles says they are dropping the contract because of business issues.

G4S is a large British security company that provides equipment and services to Israeli prisons at which Palestinian political prisoners are held without trial and subjected to torture. By helping Israel to run prisons and “interrogation centres”, G4S is participating in Israel’s use of torture and mass incarceration of more than 6,000 Palestinians as a way to discourage Palestinians from resisting Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid.

G4S also has contracts with the Israeli government to provide equipment and services to checkpoints and the apartheid wall, as well as crossings that enforce the siege of Gaza. It was also involved in the construction  of a 23 hectares Training Center for the Israeli Police, which it will help to run.

In 2012, at the height of a historic hunger strike by Palestinian political prisoners, Palestinian organisations called for boycotting G4S for its role in Israel’s prisons.

“G4S faces the end of a contract with an important company in Colombia, and the BDS campaign considers this to be the result of the rejection generated by its repressive actions in Palestine”, says BDS Colombia’s announcement.

Abdulrahman Abu Nahel, Gaza coordinator of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC), the broadest coalition that leads the global BDS movement, commented: “This latest victory against G4S, in Colombia, is a welcome contribution to our struggle for freedom, justice and equality. G4S is involved in gross violations of human rights through its involvement in and profiting from mass incarceration of Palestinians, blacks and migrants in the US and other oppressed communities around the world. The cross-movement boycott campaigns against G4S are growing fast to hold the company accountable for this complicity.”

The Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq has completed 3 months in an ongoing hunger strike that attracted international attention over his arrest without charge by the Israeli occupation authorities. Another 6,900 Palestinian political prisoner are being held by Israel.

Zoe Pepper-Cunningham, a member of the Colombian BDS campaign, stated: “This victory means the end of our campaign targeting Crepes & Waffles, but the struggle continues. Aside from other G4S contracts that we shall continue to campaign against, we are also mobilizing pressure to derail the ratification of Colombia’s Free Trade Agreement with Israel as well as the military links. For decades, Israel has supported Latin American dictatorships and trained death squads; we should impose a military embargo on it, as was done against apartheid South Africa.”

Decision in Rasmea Odeh appeal a partial victory

rasmeaodeh

A statement from the Rasmea Defense Committee

February 25th, 2016

Media contact: Hatem Abudayyeh, hatem85@yahoo.com

This morning, a ruling from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals represents a partial victory in the case of Rasmea Odeh, the legendary Palestinian American icon who was convicted of a politically motivated immigration charge in 2014, and sentenced to 18 months in prison and deportation last year.

Organizers with the Rasmea Defense Committee, which represents over 50 institutions across the country, have been waiting for a decision in the appeal since last October, and are pleased with the result.

“This isn’t a full victory yet, of course,” said Nesreen Hasan of the committee’s headquarters in Chicago, “but it really is what we were hoping for and anticipating at this stage. The conviction wasn’t overturned altogether, but at least Judge Drain will be forced to rethink his decision on the torture evidence.”

The appeals court determined that Gershwin Drain, the trial judge who sentenced Rasmea, wrongfully barred expert torture witness, Dr. Mary Fabri, from testifying at the trial.  According to lead attorney Michael Deutsch, “The case will be remanded [back to Drain] for a determination as to the admissibility of the expert testimony.  The appellate court has essentially ruled that it was an error for Drain to have precluded that testimony.”

We are hopeful that Rasmea’s full story will be told, and that she will ultimately be exonerated of all charges.

A more full press release will follow shortly, but contact spokesperson Hatem Abudayyeh for comment or for access to Deutsch.

Solidarity with India: Struggle is Global & Ongoing

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is a signatory of this collective statement from US activists in solidarity with the people’s movement in India for justice and against repression. To join the statement, sign on here: Solidarity with India: Struggle is Global & Ongoing
sol-india

We are community, student and legal activists in the United States fighting racialized and Islamaphobic state repression and the continuing assault of neoliberalism in our universities, workplaces and communities. As we watch India’s students and activists mobilize in mass for the right to dissent in the face of state sanctioned violence and relentless harassment we realize the many ways in which our struggles are interconnected.

We send strong messages of solidarity to all students, workers, communities and human rights defenders throughout India struggling against an increasingly repressive right-wing nationalist and neoliberal regime.

We salute Rohith Vemula(1) , the Dalit scholar & poetic writer whose brave act ignited new and important waves of protest throughout India. Rohith reminded many of the Tunisian street vendor who five years ago took his own life in protest of state and economic violence, igniting calls for “Bread, Freedom, Social Justice and Human Dignity.” Rohith’s life and words remind us of the importance of supporting the resistance of women, men and other genders against caste apartheid, global apartheid and all systematic racism. We honor the Ambedkarite(2) movement for its immense contribution to these struggles.

We salute Umar Khalid & his fellow student organizers who have consistently stood up for the rights of vulnerable & oppressed people including victims of anti-terrorism laws and victims of militarized policies such as operation green hunt and the ongoing occupation of Kashmir. We applaud the efforts of those students who have reminded the world of the brutal occupation of Kashmir and the illegal execution of Afzal Guru (3) an act used to criminalize these students.

We are horrified to hear of the killings of Shaista Hameed & Danish Farooq (4), young university students gunned down by government forces in Kashmir the day before the Modi regime started its attacks against #JNU. Where is justice for these students?We stand in solidarity with student leader Kanhaiya Kumar. He has faced cruel violence during his detention. We applaud every student, lawyer and journalist who have supported Kanhaiya in the face of attacks.

We fully condemn the recent acid attack on tribal rights activist & teacher Soni Sori(5) in Bastar, Chhattisgarh. For her efforts to bring justice to local peoples she has long been the target of the State. There are many facing similar violence. We have increasingly heard reports of journalists and human rights defenders attacked and expelled from Chhattisgarh under police pressure.(6) We know such actions are a meant to hide the immense abuses taking place in this State by the regime. We salute all who continue to risk their lives in exposing this truth.

We condemn the brutal and Islamophobic lynching of Mohammad Aklaq in Dadri(7) this past fall. Such blatant attacks as Dadri are inspired by the right-wing nationalism of the the ruling party, sanctioned by the both the inaction and actions of the State.

We continue to organize global acts of solidarity with India’s Workers in all sectors who are struggling in various ways for their right to organize and for their basic dignity. Workers have been met with extraordinary violence and criminalization as a result, including the brutal attacks on thousands of protesting Honda workers Haryana last week.(8) We add our support for the call to free the unfairly accused workers of Maruti Suzuki(9) in Haryana and the imprisoned workers of Pricol in Tamil Nadu.(10).

We salute countless students like Umar in Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and allover who have consistently shown their solidarity with the global movement to free Palestine. We understand that as the BJP led regime strengthens relations with Israel such solidarity increases the vulnerability of students. We salute your bravery.

In our work and activism in the U.S. and globally we will continue to educate ourselves and support the important political, economic and social struggles taking place in India and South Asia. This support begins here. We will not tolerate U.S. normalization with the repressive Modi regime, just as we challenge their relationships with the oppressive States of Israel and Egypt and others. The struggle is global.

We offer our full support and solidarity as you fight for:
• Justice for Rohith Vemula, through the resignation of VC Appa Rao and the passage of the Rohith Act in Universities to stop systemic oppression of Dalit students.
• Dismantling Caste Apartheid.
• Protection of the right of political dissent for all in India, U.S. and throughout the world.
• An end to the demonization & threats of violence against Umar Khalid, his fellow student organizers & their families, and the removal of all ‘sedition’ charges against all students.
• Release of JNU Student Kanhaiya Kumar, Cancellation of the FIR (Charging report) against Him, and accountability for the shameful attacks on Kanhaiya by lawyers and journalist while appearing in Court.
• Release of Kashmiri intellectual, and Delhi University Professor Syed Abdur Rahman (SAR) Gilani on so-called “sedition charges”. (8)
• Justice for the deaths of Shaista Hameed & Danish Farooq.
• Full demilitarization of Kashmir.
• Justice for Soni Sori and an end to the attacks on of lawyers & journalists exposing human rights abuses in Chhattisgarh.
• An end to the criminalization of organized Workers throughout the country.

ENDORSING ORGANIZATIONS
Al-Awda New York – The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
American Muslims For Palestine- New York
American Muslims for Palestine – New Jersey
Muslim American Society-New York
Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee
New York City Students for Justice in Palestine
Labor For Palestine
National Lawyers Guild, International
International Action Center

INDIVIDUAL ENDORSMENTS
Suzanne Adely , Al-Awda NY & National Lawyers Guild
Lamis Deek , Al-Awda NY & National Lawyers Guild
Larry Redmond, Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
Hasmik Geghamyan, National Lawyers Guild, San Fransisco
Corinna Mullin, University of Tunis
Pooja Gehi, National Lawyers Guild
Azadeh N. Shahshahani, Project South, National Lawyers Guild
Michael Letwin, Esq., Former President, Association of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW 2325
Martha L. Schmidt, National Lawyers Guild
Mohammed Malik, Philadelphia South Asian Collective
Gaye Ozpinar, Lawyer
Therese Davis
Leila Sayed-TAHA
Gabriela Lopez
Aneesha Ghandi
Immanuel Ness
Michelle Flores

ADD YOUR ENDORSEMENT:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BkHdGQEuHHjrTvfOwQ_ZoxyTPgmVFZbS48XbFbCqmgM/viewform?ths=true&edit_requested=true

(1) http://www.indiaresists.com/rohit-vemula-suicide-report-of-the-fact-finding-team/
(2) http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/meet-the-women-trying-to-take-down-indias-caste-apartheid-and-finding-hope-in-black-lives-matter-20151023
(3) http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-disturbing-truth-about-an-execution/article4501567.ece
(4) http://raiot.in/how-not-to-standwithjnu/
(5)http://www.indiaresists.com/sign-petition-condemn-attack-on-soni-sori-demand-prompt-action/
(6)http://thewire.in/2016/02/22/as-you-standwithjnu-spare-a-thought-for-bastar-22321/
(7) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/indian-mob-kills-man-cow-slaughter-rumour-150930193719666.html
(8)http://kafila.org/2016/02/20/undeclared-emergency-state-repression-from-jnu-students-to-honda-workers-nayan-jyoti/
(9)https://marutisuzukiworkersunion.wordpress.com/
(10)http://www.industriall-union.org/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/2016/India/free_the_pricol_8_-booklet_english_1.pdf
(11) http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/former-du-prof-geelani-arrested-on-charges-of-sedition-to-be-produced-before-court/

Members of European Parliament demand freedom for Mohammed al-Qeeq

Irish Member of European Parliament Martina Anderson spoke out in the parliamentary session of 24 February on the case of Mohammed al-Qeeq, the Palestinian journalist who has been on hunger strike since 25 November 2015. Anderson, who chairs the European Parliament’s Delegation on Relations with Palestine – addressed by Samidoun representatives at a Monday emergency session – has previously issued statements calling for the release of al-Qeeq and other Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

The Delegation also issued a statement urging al-Qeeq’s release.  MEPs Marisa Matias of Portugal, Rina Ronja Kari of Denmark, and Merja Kyllönen of Finland, among others, joined in the parliamentary protest demanding al-Qeeq’s freedom:

12742493_1074629462594412_6075897881716133071_n

“The EU must put pressure on Israel to save the life of Al-Qeeq before it is too late”, said Anderson. “Al-Qeeq is undertaking this strike for all Palestinian prisoners. He is hunger-striking in protest at being detained without charge and against being tortured…I call on EU High Representative Mogherini to pick up the phone and call Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to intercede on Al-Qeeq’s behalf,” Anderson said. “Al-Qeeq has asked to be transferred to a hospital in Ramallah. He is near death and his family is not even allowed to visit him”.

1...520521522...692Page 521 of 692

Follow us on Instagram @samidounnetwork

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network
Contact us: samidoun@samidoun.net
Facebook Instagram Mail RSS Telegram Twitter Youtube
Unless otherwise stated, all content by Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them.