Take Action: Tweet for al-Qeeq – 23 February at 2 pm EST, 7 pm GMT, 9 pm GMT+2

22 February 2016

Today marks the 90th day of Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq’s hunger strike. He is held under administrative detention, without charge or trial.

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled earlier this month to temporarily “suspend” al-Qeeq’s detention due to his deteriorating health, but the conditional suspension required that he remains in Israel’s HaEmek hospital in Afula. Mohammed Al-Qeeq has vowed to maintain his strike until transferred a hospital under Palestinian jurisdiction.

On Tuesday 23 February at 2 pm New York time, 7 pm London time, 9 pm Jerusalem time, we will be tweeting our support for Mohammed al-Qeeq and all Palestinian prisoners held in administrative detention. If you use Twitter, please join us. Follow @PSCupdates for the #hashtag.

Tweets by @PSCupdates

Please join us at 2 pm EST, 7 pm GMT, 9 pm GMT+2 on Tuesday 23 February. We need to make sure the world hears about Mohammed al-Qeeq.

25 February, Montevideo: Save Mohammed al-Qeeq!

22 February 2016

Thursday, 25 February
7:00 pm
Embassy of Israel
Luis A de Herrera and 26 de marzo
Montevideo, Uruguay

Save Mohammed al-Qeeq! 90 Days of Hunger Strike – Palestinian political prisoner in Zionist jail, detained without charges or trial.

90 days of hunger strike: Mohammed al-Qeeq denied family visits, is representing himself

22 February 2016

The Israeli military prosecution continues to deny imprisoned Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq family visits even as he is in danger of death at any moment. Al-Qeeq, 33, has been on hunger strike for 90 days in protest of his administrative detention without charge or trial by Israeli military order.

Despite the statement of the Israeli Supreme Court on 4 February that al-Qeeq’s detention was “suspended,” with the note that he could receive family visits, he has been consistently denied family visits since that time. His wife, Fayha Shalash and two small children, have been barred from visiting their husband and father. “Israeli human rights group B’Tselem says that al-Qiq is now being detained without any legal authority and that the high court has effectively ‘concocted a new legal myth – a person who is not free, yet is not detained,’ reported the Electronic Intifada.

On Sunday, the Israeli Supreme Court refused to hear a petition to allow Shalash and their children to visit al-Qeeq, instead deferring the matter to a Jerusalem district court.

Also on Sunday night, a deadline set by the Palestinian Prisoners Society for an agreement to release al-Qeeq to al-Makassed hospital in Jerusalem and end his administrative detention passed with no action, and al-Qeeq in a worsening health situation in haEmek hospital in Afula. The PPS announced that if the deadline passed with no action, they would cease to represent al-Qeeq and that the occupation bears sole responsibility for his life and health.

Al-Qeeq’s family announced on Monday morning that Mohammed does not have a lawyer and that he is his own lawyer and is the decision-maker in his case for any agreement.

Israeli police and guard dogs have been posted outside al-Qeeq’s hospital room and once again spread throughout the hospital on Monday morning, 22 February, as al-Qeeq entered his 90th day of hunger strike.

Issa Qaraqe, chair of the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, emphasized that all efforts will not cease to free al-Qeeq immediately. Palestinian doctors warned of the severe danger to his life at 90 days on hunger strike, including the potential for gallstones, severe pain and anemia, wasting of muscle, bleeding externally and internally, loss of consciousness, heart attack, vitamin deficiency and loss of memory.

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network calls for EMERGENCY ACTION everywhere in the world to save Mohammed al-Qeeq and secure his freedom, in every city, on every campus, in every community. Events and actions have taken place in London, New York, Montreal, Berlin, Dublin, Brussels, Nicosia, Lebanon, Belfast, Cologne, Sheffield, Milan and throughout Palestine. Now is the time for protests, sit-ins, flyering, tabling, and call-in actions to raise the voice and the profile of Mohammed al-Qeeq and create real popular pressure for his immediate release.

Take Action:

1. Contact government officials and demand that they break their silence on Al-Qeeq and support for Israeli violations of Palestinian rights. Join today’s action for 90 days of hunger strike!

In the United States, call the Israel Foreign Service Desk 1-202-647-3672 and the White House – 202-456-1111. Demand action on al-Qeeq’s case and an end to aid to Israel. In the UK, call UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Philip Hammond, MP, +44 20 7008 1500 or email fcocorrespondence@fco.gov.uk. In Canada, call Foreign Minister Stephane Dion: 613-996-5789. In Belgium, call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at +32 (0)2 501 81 11 and demand Foreign Minister Didier Reynders act to free al-Qeeq. Throughout the European Union, contact the office of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, at federica.mogherini@ec.europa.eu. Demand action and serious pressure to free al-Qeeq.

2. Protest at an Israeli consulate or embassy (or federal building, G4S office or public square) and demand freedom for Mohammed al-Qeeq. Raise the issue of this case publicly and distribute information – this flyer is available for you to distribute at protests in your community. Find your closest Israeli consulate: http://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-of/israel. Please email us at samidoun@samidoun.netto inform us of your action – we will publicize and share news with the prisoners.

3. Boycott, Divest and Sanction. Palestinians have urged an international boycott of Israeli goods and institutions – and corporations that profit from occupation , like G4S, the world’s largest private security company, that sells security equipment to Israeli prisons, checkpoints and police training centers – directly profiting from the occupation that destroys Palestinian lives. At the same time G4S profits from occupation, institutions like the United Nations continue to do business with it. Go to addameer.org/UNdropG4S to take action!

Sheffield activists for boycott of Israel, freedom for al-Qeeq and all Palestinian prisoners

22 February 2016

Members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign – Sheffield protested in Sheffield, UK, in front of the Co-Operative Bank on Saturday, 20 February, demanding freedom for imprisoned Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq and an end to the bank’s repeated closures of the accounts of Palestine solidarity organizations. Protesters also called for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

Al-Qeeq, 33, has been on hunger strike for three months and is in severely critical condition in HaEmek Hospital in Afula, denied both visits with his wife and children and transfer to a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah. He is protesting his imprisonment without charge or trial under Israeli administrative detention, as well as his torture and abuse under interrogation. Protests have been mounting in Palestine and internationally to free him and end the policy of administrative detention as his health situation grows more dire.

Co-Operative Bank has made the news on multiple occasions in recent months for closing the accounts of Palestinian and pro-Palestine organizations in Britain. Over 20 accounts have been closed with little to no explanation, and groups throughout the UK have protested the closures.

Photos by Musheir al-Farra.

Free Mohammed al-Qeeq and all Palestinian prisoners, call protesters in Cologne

22 February 2016

Palestinians and solidarity activists gathered on the Domplatte in Cologne, Germany on 20 February, in support of all Palestinian prisoners and highlighting the call for freedom of Mohammed al-Qeeq, the imprisoned Palestinian journalist on hunger strike for nearly three months in protest of his torture under interrogation and his administrative detention without charge or trial by the Israeli military.

Organized by the European Alliance in Defence of European Detainees, the protesters gathered to demand freedom for al-Qeeq and his fellow 7000 Palestinian prisoners, 690 of whom are, like him, held in administrative detention without charge or trial. Al-Qeeq is in an increasingly desperate medical situation, and continues to be denied transfer to a Palestinian hospital or visits from his wife and two small children.

Video:

Belfast demonstrates for freedom for Palestinian hunger striker Mohammed al-Qeeq

22 February 2016

Protesters in Belfast, Ireland gathered on 20 February to demand freedom for Mohammed al-Qeeq as he lay in HaEmek hospital in Afula on his 88th day of hunger strike. Organized by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, activists gathered outside Belfast’s City Hall to highlight the case of al-Qeeq, the imprisoned Palestinian journalist held without charge or trial under Israeli administrative detention, and demand his freedom.

Al-Qeeq’s strike, in which he refuses vitamins, salts and any medication, has been referred to as an “Irish-style” strike, in reference to the lengthy hunger strikes of Irish political prisoners in British jails protesting British colonialism.

Milan protest demands freedom for imprisoned Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq

22 February 2016

Protesters in Milan took to the streets on Saturday, 20 February for a protest demanding freedom for imprisoned Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq. Al-Qeeq, 33, is now on his 90th day of hunger strike demanding his freedom from administrative detention without charge or trial. A journalist with Al-Majd TV, al-Qeeq has been on hunger strike since 25 November 2015; he is one of over 690 Palestinians held without charge or trial under administrative detention. He is in a very critical health condition at HaEmek hospital in Afula, where despite being in danger of death, he continues to be denied visits from his wife and son.

The demonstration was organized by the Association of Palestinians in Italy, and joined by activists and organizers from a number of Palestinian and solidarity groups. Activists in Milan will organize another demonstration on 27 February, reiterating their call for the freedom of al-Qeeq and all 7000 Palestinian prisoners.

Photos:

Videos:

9 March, NYC: Repression & Resistance: Palestinians in Political Detention

21 February 2016

Wednesday, 9 March
5:30 pm
John Jay College – 899 10th Ave, NYC
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1669116183348793/
Organized by Students for Justice in Palestine at John Jay College, John Jay College Youth Justice Club and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

As part of the 12th annual Israeli Apartheid Week in New York City, join Students for Justice in Palestine at John Jay College (John Jay SJP), John Jay College Youth Justice Club and Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network for an in-depth conversation on Palestinian political prisoners, the prisoners’ movement, its role within the broader Palestinian struggle, and international solidarity campaigns, as well as United States repression of Palestinian activists.

Our panelists will discuss Israel’s political imprisonment of Palestinians in its historical and political contexts, its practical effects on Palestinian families and communities, decades of resistance by both prisoners and the Palestinian people as a whole, and the matrix of repressive tactics shared by Israel and its allies like the US.

Sabiha Azad (Moderator)

An immigration paralegal and graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a BA in political science and a minor in law. She is a current member of both John Jay SJP (alumni) and NYC Students for Justice in Palestine (NYC SJP) and an organizer of Israeli Apartheid Week NYC 2016.

Joe Catron:

A solidarity activist and freelance reporter, lived in Gaza, Palestine for three and a half years, including the 2012 and 2014 Israeli offensives. While there, he wrote for Electronic Intifada, Middle East Eye and other media on prisoners’ affairs and other aspects of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation and co-edited The Prisoners’ Diaries: Palestinian Voices from the Israeli Gulag, an anthology of accounts by detainees freed in the 2011 prisoner exchange. He organizes with Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network and is writing a book on the Battle of Shuja’iyya.

Suzanne Adely

A global labor and human rights lawyer based in New York and co-convener of Labor for Palestine. Formerly a community organizer with the Arab American Action Network in Chicago, she is co-chair of the National Lawyers Guild International Committee and a long-time member of Al-Awda New York: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition.

“Detaining Dreams”

An intimate new documentary featuring the stories of four Palestinian children and their families undergoing the ordeal of Israeli military detention.

Brad Parker

A staff attorney and international advocacy officer at Defense for Children International Palestine. He specializes in issues of juvenile justice and grave violations against children during armed conflict, and leads DCIP’s legal advocacy efforts on Palestinian children’s rights. Parker regularly writes and speaks on the situation of Palestinian children in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly issues involving detention, ill-treatment and torture of child detainees within the Israeli military detention system and violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. He leads DCIP’s US Program, is a graduate of the University of Vermont, and received his J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law.

Lamis Deek

A Palestinian organizer born in Nablus, Palestine and raised in New York. She is a member of Al-Awda New York: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition. In her practice as a lawyer, she focuses primarily on criminal defense and FBI investigations. She has handled a number of political prisoner cases domestically and witnessed the trial of Ahmad Sa’adat in Palestine.

Q&A Session

***YOU ARE REQUIRED TO RSVP FOR THIS EVENT AND PRESENT VALID PHOTO IDENTIFICATION TO CAMPUS PUBLIC SAFETY UPON ENTRANCE. PLEASE FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW TO RSVP:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/repression-resistance-palestinians-in-political-detention-tickets-22082141279

Pizza will be served!

26 February, NYC: Protest to free Mohammed al-Qeeq and defend Palestinian journalists

21 February 2016

Friday, 26 February
4:00 pm
G4S Offices, NYC – 17 W 44th St, NYC
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1548875395405667/
Organized by Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

This Friday, Mohammed al-Qeeq will enter the 94th day of an open hunger strike against his indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial.

He is one of 18 Palestinian journalists held by Israel, as well as one of 650 “administrative detainees” and 6,900 overall political prisoners.

Mohammed Kana’aneh, former Palestinian prisoner and leader in the Abnaa el-Balad movement in occupied Palestine ’48, reported that al-Qeeq was experiencing severe respiratory problems, severe chest pains and difficulty breathing, and had requested to see his wife and children on the morning of Friday, 19 February.

Protests continued throughout Palestine demanding freedom for al-Qeeq, and a group of Birzeit University students launched a hunger strike in support of his struggle. Al-Qeeq is a Birzeit graduate. He was a student leader during his time at the university.

On Thursday, Fayha Shalash, al-Qeeq’s wife, posted a brief English language video appealing for international support for the imprisoned journalist, who has been on hunger strike since 25 November, initially in protest of his torture under interrogation and then in protest of his administrative detention without charge or trial.

Shalash called on people around the world to support al-Qeeq’s struggle for freedom.

G4S, the world’s largest firm company and second-biggest private employer, equips Israeli prisons and detention centers where 6,800 Palestinian political prisoners are held and tortured, as well as the occupation forces and infrastructure that routinely massacre Palestinians while holding millions under military rule.

Join us to answer a united appeal by Palestinian prisoners for escalated boycotts of G4S.

Demand G4S immediately end its contracts with Israeli prisons and detention centers, occupation and security forces and checkpoints, and that Israel release al-Qeeq, other administrative detainees and all Palestinian political prisoners.

Support the Palestinian people, the Palestinian prisoners, the Palestinian Resistance, and the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.

90 Days Too Long – Take Action for Mohammed al-Qeeq

21 February 2016

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR MOHAMMED AL-QEEQ

#90DaysTooLong

Today marks the 90th day of Palestinian journalist Mohammed al-Qeeq’s hunger strike and he is perilously close to death, according to media reports. The father of two began his hunger strike on 25 November, four days after Israeli occupation forces arrested him from his home in the middle of the night. Al-Qeeq is protesting the illegal and inhumane conditions under which he is detained. He spent several weeks in solitary confinement before he was transferred to a military hospital on Dec. 30, 2015, because of his deteriorating health. Now, he lapses in and out of consciousness and is severely emaciated.

Currently, Israeli prison authorities are holding 6,800 Palestinians as political prisoners. Nearly 10 percent – 660 – are being held without charge or trial, a tactic called administrative detention, which violates the 78th Article of the Fourth Geneva Conventions of 1949. At least 470 Palestinian children also are in Israeli detention, according to Palestinian prisoner rights group Addameer.

We must take action immediately!

Call the White House and State Department and ask them to pressure Israel to release al-Qeeq and allow him to be treated in a Palestinian hospital in Ramallah.

TAKE ACTION

MONDAY, FEB. 22, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST (10 a.m. – 2 p.m. CST)
CALL the Israel-Palestine bureau at the US State Department at 202.647.3930
CALL the White House at 202.456.1111

TALKING POINTS

Please pressure Israel to release Mohammed al-Qeeq from administrative detention immediately and allow him to seek medical treatment in a Palestinian hospital.
Al-Qeeq is a journalist and as such should enjoy special protections.
A free press is vital to democracy and detaining journalists is not the sign of a democratic society.
Israel currently is holding 6,800 Palestinians, mostly as political prisoners, and 660 of them are being held in administrative detention.
Israel’s use of administrative detention violates the Fourth Geneva Conventions and the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
The United States has a moral obligation to ensure recipients of our aid uphold human rights and to turn a blind eye to Israel’s imprisonment of nearly 7,000 Palestinians and its use of administrative detention weakens our moral stance throughout the world.
The US must demand Israel release all Palestinian political prisoners immediately and end its use of administrative detention.
The United States must demand al-Qeeq’s immediate release and end all support for Israel’s political imprisonment and other crimes against Palestinians.
US aid to Israel breaks the Leahy Law, which bars assistance to military units known to violate human rights with impunity.
The billions of dollars sent to Israel by the US could be better spent on pressing needs within the country. (Mention any domestic priorities, like health care, job creation or schools, that are particularly important to you.)

Please Tweet at US Secretary of State John Kerry, the State Department, President Barack Obama and the White House with the hashtag #90DaysTooLong

@ John Kerry
@ StateDept
@ POTUS
@ WhiteHouse

Please post to this page after you’ve placed your call so we can follow up.

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