Sa’adat: Strikers’ lives are at risk – action needed to end administrative detention

27 May 2014

Ahmad Sa’adat, the imprisoned Palestinian leader and General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine issued a press statement on May 27, urging “effective action” to save the hunger striking prisoners in Israeli jails.

In the statement from Hadarim prison, Sa’adat warned that hunger striking prisoners, now on strike for over 34 days, were at risk of death as they entered the second month of open hunger strike.

He said that the level of action and solidarity with the strike so far “does not live up to the level required in this battle,” calling on each person to support the prisoners’ cause in whatever way possible. “Even if it is not possible to organize collectively, this is an individual responsibility, until the elimination of this racist regime of law used exclusively by the Israeli state,” administrative detention.

The hundreds of striking prisoners are demanding the end of administrative detention, the Israeli policy and practice of arbitrary detention of Palestinians without trial or charge, on secret files, for indefinitely renewable periods. Nearly 200 Palestinians are currently held in administrative detention.

Sa’adat called for all popular and official bodies, and all international human rights organizations to take a stand against the occupation’s violations of Palestinian rights and its international obligations. He noted that the occupation had agreed in 2012 to reduce and curtail its use of administrative detention following a mass prisoners’ hunger strike, but violated the agreement as the use of administrative detention has risen at that time.

“The strike is a critical step taken after the occupation authorities reneged on all of the agreements and conventions on administrative detention. The strikers’ demand is justice and freedom, through the abolition of the racist administrative detention law.”

Palestinian youth shut down ICRC, demanding end to silence on strikers

27 May 2014

A group of Palestinian youth in Ramallah has closed down the International Committee of the Red Cross office in Ramallah on Wednesday morning, May 28, protesting the ICRC’s silence on Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike for over 35 days. Their action can be followed on #ICRCClosed on Twitter, and their images may be found here: http://ow.ly/user/StopAdMedia

Our prisoners will not become martyrs

Thirty-five days have passed since the Palestinian prisoners and administrative detainees launched their battle of the empty stomachs from the Zionist colonial entity’s prisons.

Thirty-five days have passed as the hunger strikers continue to suffer from beatings, cell raids, and solitary confinement, and forcible transfer, threats of force-feeding and deliberate medical neglect at the hand of the oppressor as a punishment for protesting the colonial policy of administrative detention.

Thirty-five days have passed with silence from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other international organizations who are responsible for ensuring human dignity and rights of Palestinian prisoners as prescribed by their mandate.

Silence is complicity.

We, as Palestinian youth, refuse complicity as our brothers and sisters cling to life in the illegal Zionist entity’s prisons, and we refuse to remain silent as the ICRC evades its responsibility to the Palestinian prisoners.

We hold the ICRC fully and directly responsible for the lives of the prisoners, especially the hunger strikers and demand the following:

A clear statement that administrative detention as practiced by the Zionist entity is in violation of the Geneva conventions and the practice is considered a war crime and crime against humanity due to its widespread and systematic use and the widespread torture against the prisoners
Demand the Zionist entity to release all administrative detainees, as they are held without charge indefinitely
Protect the Palestinian prisoners and detainees, especially those on hunger strike
Maintain the Palestinian detainees’ right to hunger strike as a form of resistance in their struggle for justice and basic rights guaranteed by international human rights and humanitarian law
Hold the Zionist entity accountable in international courts for the inhumane practices against the hunger strikers in an attempt to break their strike and spirit

We, as Palestinian youth, express our deep concern about the lives of our fellow countrymen, who are fighting in their battle of empty stomachs for our collective freedom as a dispossessed and displaced nation. This is the first of an escalating series of direct actions against those who continue to be complicit in the Zionist entity’s war crimes until the recognition of the prisoners’ rights and demands.

Occupied Ramallah
28 May 2014

EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION: MAY 30-31, 2014 + ACT FOR PALESTINIAN PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE!

27 May 2014

Demand an end to administrative detention!

Download this new flyer and factsheet to use at your actions!

For the past 34 days, an increasing number of Palestinian political prisoners – beginning with 90 administrative detainees, held without charge or trial – have been on hunger strike, consuming only water and salt. There are now well over 200 striking political prisoners. One hunger striker, Daoud Hamdan, held under administrative detention for over a year, has suffered a heart attack; increasing numbers have been taken to hospital.

Their lives are on the line and face a growing threat daily. Why are they putting their bodies and lives on the line? They are demanding an end to the practice and policy of administrative detention, in which Palestinians are held without charge or trial, on secret evidence to which even their lawyers are denied access.

We need international attention to raise the profile of this hunger strike! Palestinian prisoner support and grassroots organizations are calling for a day of action on May 30 and 31 throughout Palestine and internationally in support of the prisoners. Click here to download this new leaflet from Samidoun to use at your actions!

Administrative detention as used by Israel violates international law, namely the Fourth Geneva Convention. It is used as a standard policy and practice, and administrative detention orders can be renewed repeatedly – and regularly are. People are held without charge or trial for years at a time.

The hunger strikers have faced punitive measures and serious repression: they have been denied family visits for four months after previous protests. All strikers were denied salt for the first fifteen days of the strike. Clothing, hygiene products, soap and personal belongings have been confiscated. Legal visits have been postponed, denied and obstructed.

They have repeatedly expressed their commitment to remain on strike until the policy of administrative detention ends. An increasing number of Palestinian prisoners are joining the strike – dozens more prisoners are expected to do so this week. 40 prisoners held in Ramon prison joined on Monday, May 26. All of this is taking place as over 5,200 Palestinians are unjustly held as political prisoners in Israeli prisons – including Palestinian political leaders like Ahmad Sa’adat and Marwan Barghouthi – under military orders and as Israeli home demolitions, land confiscation, settlement-building and the denial of Palestinian refugees’ right to return continues.

The strikers are facing serious and long-term damage to their health if the strike continues.

Please join this important day of action, Friday May 30 and Saturday May 31!

What You Can Do:

1. Sign the online petition demanding that Israel accept the hunger strikers’ demands and end administrative detention.

2. Protest at the Israeli consulate or embassy in your city. Sit-in, bring signs, leaflets and a Palestinian flag – demand an end to administrative detention.

3. Protest a complicit corporation in your city – such as G4S, the global security company that provides surveillance and control systems to the very prisons where hunger strikers are being abused.

4. Distribute information – use this new flyer – to support the prisoners and raise awareness.

5. Demand your government officials take a position and stop their complicity with Israeli violations of Palestinian rights and arbitrary and unlawful detention.

Email us at samidoun@samidoun.net and let us know what you are doing for May 30-31! Any action can help to make a difference. Please join in this important action!

Palestinian hunger striker Ayman Al-Tabeesh facing medical crisis

23 May 2014

Palestinian detainee Ayman Al-Tabeesh, now on open hunger strike for 84 days, is facing serious threats to his health, al-Tabeesh’s family reported.

The International Committee of the Red Cross met with his mother and brothers in their Ramallah office and informed them of his deteriorating health, expressing deep concern for his life, following their visit with him in Assaf Harofe Hospital.

Al-Tabeesh’s mother reported that her son was experiencing weakness in his heart and breathing troubles and had been connected to a ventilator. He also is suffering dizziness, severe headaches, and bodily pain. He has been warned by doctors that he is at risk of a heart attack if he continues his strike. Al-Tabeesh has been on strike for 84 days since February 28, 2014 in protest of his renewed administrative detention.

The Muhja Jerusalem Foundation released his mother’s comments, calling upon human rights organizations to take up his cause and expose the racist practices of the occupation towards Palestinian prisoners.

Al-Tabeesh, 34, has been arrested repeatedly and spent over 10 years in Israeli prisons. He was arrested last on May 9, 2013 and transferred to administrative detention. He engaged in a 105-day hunger strike which was suspended following an agreement with the prison administration to not renew his administrative detention.

Contrary to the agreement, his detention was again renewed without charge or trial, prompting his resumed hunger strike.

Palestinian striking detainees boycott prison clinic

23 May 2014

Palestinian administrative detainees and political prisoners on hunger strike are boycotting the prison clinc, reported Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association following a legal visit to Ramle prison on May 21.

Prisoners and detainees reported that the prison clinic pressures detainees to end their hunger strike. Some are also boycotting vitamins and salt and consuming only water. Approximately 47 administrative detainees are taking part in the open hunger strike which began on April 27 in Ramle prison, including 3 who were taken to the prison hospital. Detainees have lost between 12-16 kilograms of weight each since the beginning of the strike.

They reported that they were prohibited from taking daily exercise in the yard and that their personal property had been confiscated by the prison administration in retaliation for their strike.

Mahmoud Shabana, 45, a representative of the striking prisoners, reported to Addameer that their morale is high and the strike continues and that he had demanded of the prsion administration to stop interfering with and blocking lawyers’ visits with striking detaines. “Our battle is not really with the administration but with the Shin Bet security service. We are prepared for another 28 days of strike to achieve our demands to abolish administrative detention. We are ready for the worst case and the harshest results, and death with dignity and pride,” said Shabana.

Contaminated water ails striking prisoners in Beersheba; additional 50 joining open strike

23 May 2014

All striking prisoners in Beersheba prison were transferred from isolation to Soroka hospital after they developed an intestinal infection from the consumption of contaminated water, reported the Palestine Prisoners Center for Studies.

The contaminated water was provided by the prison administration. Amina Tawil of the Center noted that physicians at the hospital had informed the prisoners that contaminated water was the source of the illness and stated that they should consume only mineral water. The prison administration has thus far refused to provide mineral water, in an attempt to break the prisoners’ strike.

Instead, they have been given water in which two tablespoons of salt is dissolved, the contamination of which led to the illness. The strikers are continuing in their strike and have each lost over 20 kilograms of weight.

50 Palestinian prisoners held in Nafha Israeli prison, Mitzepe Ramon, will join an open-ended hunger strike on Sunday in support of the hunger striking administrative detainees, who also threatened to escalate their hunger strike and stop drinking water, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club (PPC), reported the International Middle East Media Center.

WAFA reports that the PPC said 50 prisoners will join the open-ended hunger strike in solidarity with the administrative detainees, who have been on an open-ended hunger strike for 29 consecutive days protesting their detention without charge or trial.

18 Palestinian human rights organizations deliver a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon urging immediate action for the hunger strikers

23 May 2014

The following letter was sent by 18 Palestinian human rights organizations to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon regarding the urgent case of Palestinian administrative detainees and political prisoners on hunger strike:

His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki Moon

United Nations Secretary General

UN Headquarters

First Avenue at 46^th Street

New York, NY 10017

USA

Date: 22 May 2014

Re: Mass Hunger Strike of Palestinian ‘Administrative Detainees’

Dear Secretary-General,

We, the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the undersigned human rights organizations, request your immediate intervention on behalf of the approximately 125 Palestinian detainees and prisoners currently on hunger strike in Israeli prisons.

The hunger strike commenced on 24 April 2014 when approximately 90 detainees began refusing food in protest of their continued administrative detention, which is detention without charge or trial. Since then the hunger strike has escalated as more administrative detainees and prisoners have joined the strike. The youngest hunger striker, Ahmad Rimawi, is just 19 years old.

The seriousness of the situation cannot be underestimated as the majority of the hunger strikers have now gone 29 days without food. Unless there is immediate intervention there will be serious consequences for the health of all those on hunger strike.

Since the strike commenced the conditions and the treatment of the hunger strikers have deteriorated as the Israeli authorities have imposed a number of punitive measures. All hunger strikers were immediately isolated from the rest of the prison population, with many also being transferred to different prisons.Israeli Prison Service (IPS) guards and Israeli Special Forces have also been conducting intrusive searches on the hunger strikers, and violent raids on their cells, on a daily basis.

In addition, all hunger strikers have also been denied family visits for four months, with some of the leaders of the strike being denied visits for six months. Some of the leaders of the strike have also been placed in isolation. All personal belongings of the hunger strikers have been confiscated and hygiene products and soap have also been denied. Access to the hunger strikers is proving particularly difficult as the Israeli authorities are restricting visits of their legal counsel.

Each hunger striker was denied access to salt for the first fifteen days of their strike. They have also decided to boycott the prison clinics as they accuse the prison physicians of conspiring with the IPS to break the strike.This behaviour is in direct violation of the World Medical Association’s Malta Declaration on Hunger Strikers, which states that “Physicians or other health care personnel may not apply undue pressure of any sort on the hunger striker to suspend the strike.”

There are currently eleven members of the Palestinian Legislative Council imprisoned by Israel, six of whom are also on hunger strike. All six are being held under administrative detention. This is despite the fact that under international law nobody can be imprisoned for their political opinions. The PLC members, and most of the hunger strikers, are held without charge and under secret evidence and their administrative detention orders can be renewed indefinitely.

We would also like to bring to your attention recent proposed legislation that has now been approved to come before the Israeli Knesset for voting into Israeli law, which, if passed into law, would allow for the force feeding of Palestinian hunger strikers.If this legislation is indeed passed into law it would have serious implications as according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Malta on Hunger Strikers, “Forcible feeding is never ethically acceptable”.

We welcome your previous statements highlighting Israel’s use of administrative detention, including that of 11 December 2013 in which you stated administrative detention “should be applied only under clear parameters and in exceptional circumstances, for as short a period as possible and without prejudice to the rights guaranteed to prisoners. Those detained must be allowed to challenge their detention and, in the absence of formal charges, should be released without delay”.

The origins of the current mass hunger strike can be traced back to an agreement between the IPS and representatives of the prisoners on 14 May 2012 which ended the previous mass hunger strike in 2012. Contained in this agreement were a number of elements including a restriction that administrative detention will onlybe used only in exceptional circumstances, as is required under international law.

However, since the May 2012 agreement, Israel has not only failed to limit the use of administrative detention but has in fact increased its use. By continuing to renege on the agreement, Palestinian political prisoners feel compelled to undertake a hunger strike which puts their lives in grave danger.

We call on you in your capacity as Secretary-General of the United Nations to immediately intervene on behalf of the hunger strikers and ensure that Israel, as the Occupying Power, respect its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Conventions.

Signed,

Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association

Aldameer Association for Human Rights

Al-Haq

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights

Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights

Defence for Children International – Palestine Section

Ensan Center for Human Rights and Democracy

Hurryyat –Centre for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights

Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights

Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies

Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling

Palestinian Center for Human Rights

The Public Committee against Torture in Israel

Adalah – The Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel

Physicians for Human Rights – Israel

Arab Association for Human Rights

Palestinian Prisoners Society

Ministry of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs

May 23, London: Solidarity Protest with Mass Hunger Strike to End Administrative Detention

22 May 2014

23RD MAY – SOLIDARITY PROTEST WITH MASS HUNGER STRIKE TO END ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION

Date: Friday 23rd May 2014, 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: G4S HQ, 105 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QT (Closest public transport: Victoria Tube/Rail station)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/291833330977212/

On 24th April 2014 a mass hunger strike of Palestinian prisoners demanding an end to Israels’s illegal policy of punitive Administrative Detention began with 134 administrative detainees joining the strike on the first day. Today (22nd May), on the 23rd day of the hunger strike over 5,000 Palestinian prisoners have joined the hunger strike for a day of solidarity with the administrative detainees. Tomorrow we will protest in London for the third time is solidarity with the mass hunger strike. Please join us.

We will inshAllah have a message from the family of one of the hunger striking administrative detainees to read out at the protest.

ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION

Administrative detention is a practice used by Israel to imprison Palestinians indefinitely without charge or trial.

Prisoners are given rolling detention orders which can be anything from 1-6 months, renewable indefinitely. This is against international law. For example administrative detainee Mazen Natsheh has been locked up cumulatively for nearly 10 years without charge or trial.

Detention orders are based on so called “secret information” which never needs to be produced, either to the detainee nor their lawyer.

Administrative detention is often used to arbitrarily jail Palestinians where there is no evidence for a trial, or for punishment as in the case of 9 Palestinian MPs.

Israel has on average issued over 2000 detention orders every year (2007-2011). Today there are 186 administrative detainees, the vast majority – 86% are locked up in G4S secured prisons like Ofer, Ketziot and Megiddo. Most of them having been transferred from the West Bank into Israel in contravention of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

We will be protesting outside the headquarters of G4S in London demanding Israel stop its illegal policy of punitive administrative detention and for G4S to stop its complicity in Israeli war crimes against Palestinian prisoners.

AYMAN AL-TABEESH – 85th DAY OF HUNGER STRIKE

On 17th Feb 2013 Israeli soldiers abducted 33 years old Ayman Al-Tabeesh from his home in Dura, near al-Khalil, and caged him at the G4S secured Ofer prison – indefinitely on an illegal rolling administrative detention order with no charge, and no trial.

To protest he went on a 105 day hunger strike, only stopping once Israel had agreed in writing that they would not renew his administrative detention. Yet in Jan 2014 Israel reneged on its written agreement and issued a new administrative detention order. As a result Ayman started a second hunger strike on 28th Feb 2014.

After 70 days he lost over 25kg in weight and his condition is so critical that he has been moved twice to different hospitals.

Two months after Ayman started his strike over 130 other administrative detainees joined the hunger strike – all demanding an end to Israel’s illegal practice of administrative detention.

We received a short message from the Muhammed Al-Tabeesh the brother of hunger striker Ayman Al-Tabeesh. Muhammed himself was a hunger striker and was released from the occupations prison just 4 months ago. The message was written especially for the 9th May London protest, it reads:

“Thank you for standing besides us in supporting the steadfastness of my brother Ayman Al-Tabeesh in his hunger strike.

Thank you for your humanity in supporting the Palestinian prisoners, especially the hunger strikers.

We need you to tell the international community of Israel’s criminal brutality against our prisoners, the violation of their rights. The occupations illegal never ending administrative detention orders is nothing less than a slow death for Palestinian prisoners.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj-2gKujmhQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmFuLq_OEy0

Friday will be Ayman Al-Tabeesh’s 85th day of hunger strike.

We would like to thank the Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies for their help in this campaign.

CHILD PRISONERS – HARES BOYS

We will also be continue our campaign for child prisoners, in particular the Hares Boys who have been caged in a G4S secured prison now for well over a year, going from one postponed military hearing to another, for a crime that didn’t even happen.

WOMEN PRISONERS – LENA JARBONI TO SHIREEN ISSAWI

There currently 22 women prisoners nearly all locked up in G4S secured HaSharon prison from the longest serving woman, Lena Jarboni who has been caged for nearly 12 years, to one of the newest woman prisoners Shireen Issawi.

Shireen Issawi who was abducted by the Israeli occupation on 6th March. As a human right lawyer she has been a strong advocate for prisoners rights, a thorn against the occupation. After interrogating her for a full month at Israel’s notorious G4S secured torture den – the Russian Compound in Jerusalem, they transferred her to the filthy rat infested dungeon at Hasharon, also secured by G4S. The transfer of Palestinian prisoners from the occupied West Bank and Gaza to into Israel (to HaSharon Prison) is illegal under international law and constitutes a war crime, G4S is complicit in this by the services it provides to HaSharon Prison.

In a meeting with her lawyer in HaSharon prison Shireen revealed the daily ordeal she suffered during the 22 days of interrogation at the G4S secured Russian Compound in Jerusalem Prison. Everyday the interrogation would started at 10am in the morning and last 16 hours, until 2am the next morning leaving her exhausted. The stress positions during interrogation have left her with severe pains in her back. Between interrogation sessions she was caged in solidarity confinement with no contact with any other prisoner.

Shireen also complained of the cruel transportation from the prison to the court where she is strapped to an iron chair with hands and feet shackled for over 8 hours in a closed bus with no ventilation or access to water or a toilet whilst being taunted by the cruel soldiers of the Nashshon Unit of the occupation.

When her military court hearing was postponed for a year she started a hunger strike in protest on 7th May. After 13 days on hunger strike the occupation relented and agreed to a new court hearing and the possibility of bail as was the case with the other lawyers who were arrested at the same time as her. With this concession Shireen has suspended her hunger strike. Both Shireen and her brother Medhat Issawi remain imprisoned despite the fact that the other lawyers that were abducted at the same time as them have been released on bail.

LIVE UPDATES DURING PROTEST

We will, inshAllah, be tweeting live (hash tags #Water_and_Salt #StopAD #StopG4S ) from the protest with live photos being uploaded to our twitter and facebook page. So if you can’t join us on the day, please help us by sharing the photos as they get uploaded.

https://www.facebook.com/inmindscom

https://twitter.com/InmindsCom

Palestinian Prisoners Campaign
www.inminds.com/caged

The Palestinian Prisoners Campaign aims to raise awareness for the plight of Palestinian prisoners and build solidarity for their struggle and work towards their freedom. The campaign was launched by Innovative Minds (inminds.com) and the Islamic Human Rights Commission (ihrc.org) on the occasion of Al Quds Day 2012 (on 17th August 2012), since then we have held actions every fortnight in support of Palestinian prisoners, if you can spare two hours twice a month then please join the campaign by coming to the next action.

Mona Qa’adan’s trial postponed for thirteenth time

21 May 2014

Israeli military courts postponed the trial of Palestinian captive Mona Qa’adan for the thirteenth time in a row, reported the Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies on May 19.

Qa’adan, 42, from Arraba near Jenin, was arrested on November 13 2012, and her trial has been suspended since that time. Each time she has been brought to court – 13 in total – it has required a 10 hour continuous journey by “Bosta,” the infamous transport van that is poorly ventilated and includes shackling of prisoners to metal chairs.

The Center said that this was part of a psychological campaign against Qa’adan, who suffers from severe pain in the stomach and joints but has not received treatment for her illnesses. She has also been forbidden family visits as her family members’ applications to visit have been denied under the prtext of security.

Mona Qa’adan has previously spent three years in Israeli jails before being freed in the 2011 prisoner exchange (Wafa al-Ahrar). She was re-arrested a year after her release under the pretext of affiliation with Islamic Jihad.

May 23, Washington DC: Protest in solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers

21 May 2014

Friday, May 23 – 5:30 – 7:30 pm

The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC

Come to stand with Palestinian administrative detainees on hunger strike, demand an end to administrative detention and US support for the unlawful and unethical detention of Palestinians without charge or trial.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/690024731065010/

Follow us on Instagram @samidounnetwork