Ahmad Abdullah Al-Saadi has now spent a year in solitary confinement, since May 21, 2013. He is now being held in solitary confinement in Megiddo prison, and was previously held in isolation in Shata Prison and then Ramon prison.
In 2012, thousands of Palestinian prisoners engaged in the Karameh (Dignity) Hunger Strike. The end of isolation and solitary confinement was a primary demand of the prisoners, and was agreed to by the occupation prison authorities in order to end the strike. Nevertheless, cases in which occupation authorities continue to use solitary confinement continue.
In addition, occupation authorities also in 2012 agreed to a reduction and curtailment in the use of administrative detention. This has not occurred, which has led to the now 29-day hunger strike of administrative detainees demanding an end to the practice of imprisonment without charge or trial on secret evidence.
In 2013, when Al-Saadi was first isolated, “According to prisoners, Saadi was held in Ramon prison and was transferred in February 2013 to Jalama interrogation centre, where he was interrogated for over one month and accused of attempting to coordinate the capture of an Israeli soldier from inside the prison. He denied the allegations, was returned to Ramon prison and two months later, on May 21, was transferred to Shata prison and has been held in solitary confinement since that time.
The prisoners said that Saadi’s isolation is an attempt by the Shin Bet security service to retaliate against Saadi for his refusal to confess in interrogation, saying that Saadi had been threatened during interrogation with the arrest of his mother and family; he has been prohibited from family visits for a year.”
Contrary to erroneous press reports, Rasmea Odeh is not pleading guilty. Today in the U.S.District Court in Detroit, MI, she requested a change of counsel and reported to Judge Paul Borman that she is going to trial.
She has committed no crime and the government has no case. She has been in this country for 20 years, a citizen for 10 of them, and an upstanding one at that. One who supports the empowerment of immigrant women through leadership development programming she leads in Chicago. One who works closely with Black, Latino, Asian, white, and other communities in Chicago, to promote multi culturalism and racial and social justice. One who is supported so broadly by colleagues in Chicago that she was awarded an Outstanding Community Leader award by the Chicago Cultural Alliance in 2013.
The charge brought against her is just a pretext for the continuation of federal law enforcement repression against Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims in this country. This policy attempts to scapegoat and intimidate our community into staying silent and not raising its voice against injustice.
But that will not happen. Hundreds of people are being mobilized as I speak to travel to Detroit to fill the courtroom during Rasmea’s trial and provide support. We will be here every day, showing the world that she will not be alone.
There has already been a massive outpouring of love and support for Rasmea across the U.S. and the world, because people see this prosecution for what it is, a political attack on a 66 year old Palestinian woman who has dedicated her life to progress and social justice for her people and all people. We will stand with her to fight these charges.
Ahmad Sa’adat, imprisoned Palestinian leader and General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, engaged in a one-day solidarity hunger strike on May 21, in support of an open hunger strike of Palestinian administrative detainees held in occupation prisons. He was one of 120 prisoners in Hadarim prison who joined the one-day strike demanding the end of administrative detention, confinement in occupation prisons without trial or charge. Click here to send a letter now and take action in support of the striking administrative detainees!
The administrative detainees’ open hunger strike began on April 24. As of May 20, there were approximately 120 Palestinian prisoners on an open-ended hunger strike, most who began 28 days ago. 15 Palestinian political prisoners have been hospitalized since the strike began. Occupation prison authorities have engaged in a number of repressive measures in retaliation against strikers, including solitary confinement, denial of legal visits, arbitrary transfers, late-night raids and disruptive, violent inspections. Strikers were denied water and salt for at least the first fifteen days of the strike, putting their health at risk.
At the same time, Mohammed Kana’aneh (Abu As’ad) of Abna’a el Balad Movement in occupied Palestine ’48, himself a former prisoner, launched a solidarity open hunger strike in support of the striking prisoners’ demands. Solidarity tents and rallies have taken place throughout Palestine. Kana’aneh has declared that he will consume only salt and water until the strikers’ demands are met.
Mohammad Kana’aneh
40 additional Palestinian prisoners announced they would join the open-ended strike in Naqab Prison beginning on the 21st, raising the total number of strikers to approximately 160. Marwan Barghouthi, a Fateh leader and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, also engaged in a one-day strike on May 21. Fifteen prisoners in Ashkelon prison announced that they will join the strike on Sunday if the administrative detainees’ demand to end administrative detention is not met. Future days of action involving thousands of prisoners – up to and including a full collective hunger strike – are planned if the occupation prison authority continues to ignore the administrative detainees’ demands.
The strike was launched in Ofer, Megiddo and Naqab Prisons; there were 186 Palestinians being held without charge or trial at the time. Rather than reducing the use of administrative detention as promised in 2012, its use has increased and continues to be a standard policy: in 2014, 142 administrative detention orders and renewals have been issued. Addameer notes that the strike is currently taking place in Naqab, Ofer, Marash, Ayalon and Ayala prisons and isolation cells. It should be noted that G4S, the British/Danish security company subject to an international boycott campaign, provides cameras and surveillance equipment at Ofer and Megiddo.
Ayman al-Tabeesh, Palestinian political prisoner held under administrative detention, has now been on hunger strike for 80 days. has been detained since May 2013 and engaged in an open hunger strike for 105 days, ending on September 4, 2013, which ended with an agreement to not renew his administrative detention after the current period. However, in direct violation of the agreement, his administrative detention was again renewed without charge or trial, sparking his renewed hunger strike.
Shireen Issawi, Palestinian lawyer and the sister of former prisoner and long-term hunger striker Samer Issawi, engaged in a 13-day hunger strike which was suspended on May 21 after an appeal secured her re-trial and a reconsideration of release. Her court date had earlier been postponed for six months.
2. Write to the International Committee of the Red Cross and call upon it to visit all hunger striking detainees and prisoners, as well as publicly condemn the policy of administrative detention which is in clear violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, as stipulated by the ICRC mandate to protect international humanitarian law. Email the ICRC, whose humanitarian mission includes monitoring the conditions of prisoners, at JER_jerusalem@icrc.org.
Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, the Arab struggler who has been held for 30 years in French prisons, is refusing food for three days in solidarity with Palestinian administrative detainees on hunger strike in occupation prisons who have been striking for two weeks, since April 24, 2014.
He is joined in his strike by a dozen fellow Arab and Basque prisoners in Lannemezan prison, which he launched on Thursday morning, May 8, 2014. Abdallah stated that this step comes in the context of duty and solidarity with the prisoners of the Palestinian revolution and resistance and their just demands.
On Friday, May 9, a sit-in is being held in Beirut in front of the French embassy with the participation of Lebanese and Palestinian organizations, including the campaign in solidarity with Palestinian leader Ahmad Sa’adat.
The prisoners who are refusing to eat emphasized their support to their comrades in Palestine confronting imperialism and Zionism. Abdallah said that they are refusing food in solidarity with the protest of the prisoners inside the Zionist jails.
On May 8, thousands of Palestinian prisoners throughout occupation prisons, who number over 5,100, have announced a one-day solidarity hunger strike in solidarity with the administrative detainees.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine responded to Abdallah’s action, praising his response and that of his fellow detainees in French prison in solidarity with the administrative detainees in occupation prisons, saying “this shows the unity of common global struggle against imperialism and the Zionist occupation. The Palestinian and Arab people and the free people of the world will not forget the great sacrifices made by the struggler George Abdallah in the service of our national Arab struggles, especially the Palestinian cause.”
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, Global Week of Action for Palestinian Prisoners, and the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat organized a conference on Palestinian Prisoners’ Day in Brussels, Belgium on April 19, 2014. The event, held in a packed room at Pianofabriek Culturencentrum in Brussels, included presentations and talks, a photography exhibition and music.
Leila Khaled, Palestinian political leader and icon of the resistance, sent her greetings to the event via video:
Charlotte Kates of Samidoun and the National Lawyers Guild (U.S.) discussed the legal and political situation of Palestinian prisoners, the mass imprisonment of Palestinians, and criminalization of resistance. Rabee Eid, Palestinian journalist from Palestine ’48, spoke about the Palestinian prisoners from ’48 and the legacy of mass imprisonment from the earliest days of the colonization of Palestine.
Jan of Palestina Solidariteit presented on Palestinian child prisoners and the growing international campaign to boycott G4S, the world’s largest security corporation, which provides security services to occupation prisons and Ofer military court.
Khaled Barakat, coordinator of the Campaign to Free Ahmad Sa’adat, addressed the political implications of imprisonment for the Palestinian liberation movement and the use of isolation as a constant tactic, both inside and outside the occupation prisons, to separate Palestinians from one another. He discussed the prisons and the prisoners as centers of resistance and resistance leaders for the Palestinian movement as a whole.
The event also included a photo exhibition with the images and stories of Palestinian women former prisoners by photographer Asmaa Seba, and concluded with Palestinian food and music by Souk-Souk Soundsystem. The photo exhibition, “Suspended Lives,” showcased former women prisoners with photos of themselves prior to their time in occupation prisons.
“It was very important to have this event here in Brussels to bring Palestinian voices speaking about the Palestinian prisoners, G4S and the BDS movement,” said one of the Palestinian youth who organized the event. “We plan to continue to organize similar events of this type to build the movement further.”
The event followed a successful protest held in Brussels’ Place de la Monnaie on April 17, where numerous Belgian organizations joined together to take the streets to call for freedom for Palestinian political prisoners. “Liberez-les prisonniers palestiniens!” rang out in the plaza as speakers and activists came together to demand freedom for all Palestinian political prisoners.
The Palestinian Association of Ile-De-France is organizing a Palestinian Prisoners’ Day demonstration in Paris on Thursday, April 17 from 5 – 7 pm at Place de la Fontaine Saint-Michel. Announcement below and at this link:
JEUDI 17 AVRIL 2014, RASSEMBLEMENT DE 17 HEURES À 19 HEURES PLACE DE LA FONTAINE SAINT-MICHEL (M° SAINT-MICHEL, LIGNE 4)
La détention de milliers de Palestiniens n’est pas la seule arme utilisée par l’occupant israélien pour venir à bout de la résistance de tout un peuple, mais c’est l’une des plus cruelles.
Pas un jour, pas une nuit ne se passe sans que la soldatesque israélienne fasse irruption dans les villes et villages de Palestine occupée, et prenne en otage la jeunesse de ce pays.
Il y a actuellement plus de 5.000 Palestiniens détenus par Israël, dont plusieurs centaines en « rétention administrative », c’est-à-dire sans jugement ni même mise en examen, pour des durées indéfinies. Parmi ces prisonniers, plus de 200 sont des enfants, condamnés à de lourdes peines de prison pour un jet de pierres alors qu’ils défendent leur propre village, et qui sont systématiquement soumis à torture et traitements dégradants.
Ce n’est certainement pas un hasard si l’occupant israélien a choisi le thème des prisonniers pour se livrer à l’une de ses dernières provocations : en l’occurrence, il a foulé au pied son propre engagement de libérer une vingtaine de prisonniers, enfermés depuis plus de vingt ans pour la plupart.
El 17 de Abril de 1974, el preso político palestino, Mahmud Baker Hijazi, fue liberado. Ese mismo año, el Consejo Nacional Palestino declaró el 17 de abril como jornada de solidaridad con presos y presas políticas palestinas. Desde el año 2005 se ha conmemorado el 17 de abril como el Día Internacional de Solidaridad con Presos y Presas Políticas a nivel mundial.
5.224 personas palestinas se encuentran detenidas, entre ellas 13 mujeres y 210 menores (28 de menos de 16 años); Muchas se encuentran encarceladas por la llamada “detención administrativa”, sin cargos ni juicio. Las sentencias van desde los 3 meses hasta la cadena perpetua. Hay 561 personas condenadas a cadena perpetua. El grupo más numeroso, 620, están cumpliendo entre 10 y 15 años de prisión.
Fuentes del Ministerio de los Presos señalan que 203 presos palestinos han fallecido dentro de las cárceles israelíes: 71 presos han muerto por torturas, 51 por falta de atención médica, 74 han muerto por asesinatos posterior a la detención y antes de ser ingresados a sus celdas y otros 7 que han sido asesinados mediante disparos dentro de sus celdas de detención. Desde la ocupación Israelí en los territorios palestinos de 1967 se contabilizan más de 700.000 detenciones. La mayoría de las detenciones ocurren en los checkpoints, en la calle y en las propias casas en medio de la noche. Durante el proceso de interrogación están sujetos a procesos de maltrato y humillación. 2000 prisioneros no pueden recibir visitas de los familiares, 650 no tienen visitas desde hace más de cinco años.
La situación en la realidad supera estos terribles datos, irreparrables para el pueblo palestino pero insignificantes para el culpable de la barbarie que actualmente Israel sigue reproduciendo en los muros que ha impuesto y sigue imponiendo a Palestina, dentro y fuera de la cárcel.
La tortura en y fuera de las cárceles del régimen israelí es un hecho cotidiano para las personas palestinas, a las que además de negarles el derecho legítimo a su tierras se les niegan arbitrariamente los derechos más básicos; como son el agua, la comida, la atención médica, la educación. A pesar de las denuncias existentes al respecto, el régimen sionista, sigue actuando con total impunidad, cometiendo éstas y mayores atrocidades, incumpliendo una y otra vez los Derechos Humanos, sin que haya respuesta ni justicia al respecto.
Es por esto, que nos reunimos, con la intención de hacer visible la realidad del pueblo palestino, y de la situación de todas las personas palestinas privadas de su libertad.
Y Exigimos:
El fin a la ocupación de Palestina
El fin al uso abusivo de la detención administrativa y del aislamiento
El fin a todas las formas de castigo colectivo como la prohibición de visitas familiares y la negación del tratamiento médico básico
El fin a la prohibición de libros y periódicos y a las restricciones de la educación
Apoyamos además, la campaña de boicot en contra de G4S, empresa que provee servicios de gestión e instalación y mantenimiento de servicios de seguridad en las prisiones del estado de Israel y, por tanto, cómplice en las violaciones del Derecho internacional y los Derechos Humanos por parte de Israel. En concreto, nos unimos al llamamiento a la Fundación Gates para que retire sus inversiones en G4S.
Thursday 17th April is Palestinian Prisoners Day, a day of solidarity with the 5000+ Palestinian men, women and children who are languishing in Israeli dungeons.
Two events will take place, both from Victoria Street (near Victoria Station):
Date: Thurday 17th April 2014, 3pm – 6pm
3pm Mystery Action
We will meet on Victoria Street in front of Westminster Cathedral (3mins from Victoria station) for a mystery action jointly with our friends from London Palestine Action
4pm Protest outside G4S HQ, 105 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QT
There will be several themes for this years Prisoners Day. They will centre around our continued campaign against G4S. British multinational G4S is the worlds largest security contractor and provides security for many prisoners in Israel where Palestinian men, women and children are tortured and caged.
Ministry of Detainees’ Affairs in Gaza has asked us to highlight the urgent cases of the Palestinian sick detainees this Prisoners Day, those whose health is critical due to Israel’s systematic policy of medical negligence towards Palestinian political prisoners. We will be reading out a message from one of the families of these critically ill prisoners.
Child Prisoners – we will continue out campaign for child prisoners, in particular the Hares Boys who have been caged in a G4S secured prison now for over a year, going from one postponed military hearing to another, for a crime that didn’t even happen.
Women Prisoners – 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 the newest woman prisoner Shireen Issawi who was just transferred to HaSharon this morning from her interrogation cell at the Russian Compound of Jerusalem prison – another G4S secured facility. 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.
Ahmad Abdullah Al-Saadi has now spent a year in solitary confinement, since May 21, 2013. He is now being held in solitary confinement in Megiddo prison, and was previously held in isolation in Shata Prison and then Ramon prison.
Jan of Palestina Solidariteit presented on Palestinian child prisoners and the growing international campaign to boycott G4S, the world’s largest security corporation, which provides security services to occupation prisons and Ofer military court.
JEUDI 17 AVRIL 2014,
