11 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike protesting prison abuses

9 February 2014

Additional Palestinian political prisoners have taken up hunger strikes in protest of prison authorities’ practices.

Ameer al-Shammas declared hunger strike on January 11, 2014, protesting his administrative detention and isolation. He was arrested on September 3, 2013 and held in Ashkelon interrogation centre for over a month and a half, then sentenced to administrative detention. He was held in solitary confinement and then moved to Ramle prison hospital due to his recent health deterioration.

Saber Suleiman launched an open-ended hunger strike on January 25 demanding his release from Moskobiya interrogation centre, where he was tortured.

On January 15, 2014, Osama Shweiki and Mohammad Al-Batran launched hunger strikes, reported the Palestinian Prisoners Society after Azzam Shweiki, Osama’s brother, visited him. They launched an open hunger strike to protest their transfer to solitary confinement in Megiddo.

The Palestine Centre for Prisoners Studies reported that Iyad Astete has been on hunger strike since February 1, 2014. Astete, from Jenin, has been detained since June 2006 and is serving a prison sentence of 16 years.

He has started a hunger strike protesting against the Israeli authorities’ refusal to transfer him from Ashkelon prison to the northern jails which are close to his residence area. Astete said that the conditions in Ashkelon’s solitary confinement cells are very bad, and that he has been deprived of buying from the canteen and of receiving family visits for two months and a half.

These hunger strikers join fellow Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike:

Akram al-Fassisi, held in administrative detention without charge or trial since November 2012, who has engaged in previous hunger strikes that he was forced to end due to ill health, began a new open-ended hunger strike on January 9, 2014. (Profile from Addameer)
Waheed Abu Maria, also held in administrative detention without charge or trial since November 2012, launched an open-ended hunger strike against administrative detention on January 9, 2014.
Muammar Banat, also in administrative detention without charge or trial, joined in this open-ended hunger strike on January 9, 2014.
Abdul Majeed Khudairat, who has engaged in hunger strikes in the past, launched his open-ended hunger strike in protest of his re-arrest after his release in the prisoner exchange agreement of October 2011. He began his strike on January 15.
Musa Soufan of Tulkarem, sentenced to life imprisonment plus five years, launched a hunger strike on January 25, 2014, protesting against medical neglect and delay in treatment; he has a tumor under his left ear and needs an operation to remove the tumor but has received only painkillers and has been isolated rather than moved to the hospital.
Hossam Yousef Omar also launched a hunger strike on January 25, 2014; he is being held in isolation in Megiddo prison and is demanding an end to his solitary confinement.

Severely ill Ibrahim Bitar suddenly transferred to Soroka Hospital

9 February 2014

Palestinian political prisoneer, Ibrahim Bitar, who is severely ill yet not officially diagnosed, was suddenly transferred on early Sunday morning from Nafha prison to Soroka hospital.

Bitar, 33, is suffering from an undignosed disease of blood and digestion; he has had surgery to remove a tumor and has ben diagnosed with numerous diseases including anemia, Crohn’s disease, rheumatism. He was treated for leukemia but then informed that this was a misdiagnosis.

Ibrahim Bitar's mother at a vigil for his freedom. Photo: Joe Catron — Ibrahim Bitar’s mother at a vigil for his freedom. Photo: Joe Catron

His family has been campaigning for his release and for proper medical treatment, building a campaign and organizing rallies in Gaza, his home, as reported by the Electronic Intifada.

Mamdouh al-Bitar, Ibrahim’s brother, said “The aim is for Ibrahim to be released because of his health condition…The second is for a health committee to have access, to find out his condition and give him the proper medication. Finally, we want the release of all the sick prisoners.”

Palestinian journalist Mohammad Mona’s administrative detention extended

9 February 2014

The occupation authorities renewed the administrative detention of journalist Mohammad Mona days before his detention was to expire, reported the Palestine Centre for Prisoners’ Studies.

He was sentenced to six months administrative detention, without charges or trial. The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate has been advocating around his case. He was seized from his home in Nablus in August 2013 and has been held without charge or trial ever since.

Former hunger striker Imad Batran released after detention in Ashkelon

9 February 2014

Occupation authorities released former long-term hunger striker Imad Batran on February 4 after 22 days in detention in Ashkelon prison, reported the Mohja al-Quds Foundation.

He was arrested on January 13, 2014 and detained in Ashkelon without charge during that time. Batran, it should be noted, has been arrested twice before – during his last detention, he engaged in a long-term hunger strike for 105 days until the occupation agreed to not renew his administrative detention. He was released on November 14, 2013.

Feb. 7, Chicago: Town Hall Meeting on Rasmea Odeh’s case with Rashid Khalidi

7 February 2014

Community Town Hall with special guest Dr. Rashid Khalidi: Drop the Charges Against Rasmea Now! Support her Defense Fund
Friday, February 7, 2014
Aqsa School: 7361 W 92nd St, Bridgeview, IL 60455
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/592829454120967/

In the early morning of Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013, sixty-five year old Associate Director of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), Rasmea Yousef Odeh, was arrested at her home by agents from the Department of Homeland Security. She was indicted in federal court that same morning, and charged with Unlawful Procurement of Naturalization, an allegation based on answers she gave on a 20-year-old immigration application.

Rasmea, who has made it her life’s work to serve and help empower Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim families, is the victim of another politically-motivated witch-hunt by our federal law enforcement agencies, which continue to violate the civil rights of Arabs and Muslims with impunity, particularly those who are critical of U.S. support for Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people.

Please join The Coalition to Protect People’s Rights (CPPR) as we present a community town hall on Rasmea’s case.

Join us at Aqsa School on February 7th at 8:15pm, immediately following Isha prayers for presentations that include:

-Legal update from Jim Fennerty, one of Rasmea’s lawyers
-Know Your Rights presentation by Dima Khalidi of the Palestine Solidarity Legal Support
-An update on the community organizing that has been done around the case
With special guest speaker Dr. Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Chair, Columbia University.

Come learn about the case and what you can do to help!

CPPR is comprised of American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Arab American Action Network (AAAN), Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East (AJP), Lifta Association, U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), and many others

Feb. 7, Tunisia: Protest for Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, against Hollande visit

2 February 2014

The Tunisian Solidarity Committee to Free Georges Ibrahim Abdallah will protest outside the French embassy in Tunis on February 7 at noon, to coincide with the visit of the President of France, Francois Hollande, to Tunisia.

The protest will call for the freedom of Lebanese activist George Ibrahim Abdallah, held in French prisons for 30 years now as a political prisoner.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/593753637371345/?ref=22

Six Palestinian political prisoners on hunger strike

2 February 2014

Six Palestinian prisoners are currently engaging in open-ended hunger strikes in protest of actions by the occupation prison authorities:

Akram al-Fassisi, held in administrative detention without charge or trial since November 2012, who has engaged in previous hunger strikes that he was forced to end due to ill health, began a new open-ended hunger strike on January 9, 2014. (Profile from Addameer)
Waheed Abu Maria, also held in administrative detention without charge or trial since November 2012, launched an open-ended hunger strike against administrative detention on January 9, 2014.
Muammar Banat, also in administrative detention without charge or trial, joined in this open-ended hunger strike on January 9, 2014.
Abdul Majeed Khudairat, who has engaged in hunger strikes in the past, launched his open-ended hunger strike in protest of his re-arrest after his release in the prisoner exchange agreement of October 2011. He began his strike on January 15.
Waheed Abu Maria

Musa Soufan of Tulkarem, sentenced to life imprisonment plus five years, launched a hunger strike on January 25, 2014, protesting against medical neglect and delay in treatment; he has a tumor under his left ear and needs an operation to remove the tumor but has received only painkillers and has been isolated rather than moved to the hospital.
Hossam Yousef Omar also launched a hunger strike on January 25, 2014; he is being held in isolation in Megiddo prison and is demanding an end to his solitary confinement.

Palestinian child prisoner Ubaida Asaid suspends hunger strike

2 February 2014

Photo via Inminds (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=583336565085310&set=a.365131370239165.86577.365007213584914&type=1&theater)

Palestinian child prisoner Ubaida Asaid ended his hunger strike on February 1, after occupation authorities agreed to transfer him from the Ofek criminal youth Israeli prison to HaSharon prison with Palestinian political prisoners.

Asaid, 15, was abducted by ocupation forces on November 13, 2013, and then abducted again with his 13-year-old brother Osman two weeks later. Osman was released after paying a $3000 fine and is now under house arrest and prohibited from even going to school.

Ubaida was transferred to Ofek where he was in danger and was denied family visits. He began a hunger strike on January 27. Inminds reported that the transfer to HaSharon will take place within 10 days. They protested in London at infamous prison contractor G4S headquarters raising awareness about Ubaida’s case on January 31.

Palestinian ill prisoners struggle for justice: cases of Abu Latifa, Raddad and Bitar

2 February 2014

Palestinian ill prisoners continue to suffer from medical neglect and mistreatment, report Palestinian prisoners and their families.

The Palestine Center for Prisoners Studies reported that Abdullah Mahmoud Abu Latifa, 30, of Bethlehem, has seen a serious decline in his health. He has been imprisoned since 2005 and is sentenced to 15 years in occupation prisons. Abu Latifa has suffered for 3 years with severe head pains and initial examinations have indicated that he has a tumor. He is unaware of the nature or cause of the tumor, and fears that it is cancerous. Abu Latifa does not know what the prison doctors are doing with the results of his tests, he has received no treatment except painkillers, and his health has declined, he has lost weight and he is very tired. Abu Latifa told his lawyer that a prison doctor told him during transport to a hospital for a test that he has cancer, but the prison officials have refused to turn over medical reports to his lawyer, claiming that security reasons prevent them from doing so.

Abu Latifa’s family are calling for urgent attention to his case and are asking to be allowed to send a private doctor into the prisons to examine him, and determine the cause of his illness. They stated that the occupation bears full responsibility for his life and that his health has deteriorated significantly since his imprisonment. The Center said that many prisoners are anxious after revelations of other prisoners’ diagnoses of cancer after years or months of neglect, making their cancer much more difficult or even impossible to treat.

Moatassem Raddad, 31, will undergo surgery to remove his large intestine inside the prison hospital, after the failure of other treatments. Raddad suffers from colon cancer; he is one of the most severely ill prisoners. Despite the severity of his case, Israeli military courts have denied application for his early release on medical grounds. He thanked all who have stood in solidarity with him in his struggle for adequate medical treatment. He will have another hearing on early release on February 12, after two years of postponements and denials and severely deteriorating health. He is sentenced to 20 years and has served 9 years of his sentence; he is held in Ramle prison hospital awaiting surgery.

Ibrahim Bitar’s family and supporters continue to organize for his release, calling for his freedom to save his life. He has lost nearly 30 kg in weight, is losing his sight due to an untreated injury, and suffers from blood diseases. He is 33, from Khan Younis, and serving a 17-year sentence, of which he has served 10 years. His brother Mamdouh Bitar noted that he is faced with slow death through medical neglect. Dozens of Palestinians joined in a rally on January 20 in Gaza calling for his release.

PFLP leaders Sa’adat and Jaghoub transferred by occupation prison authorities

2 February 2014

The branch of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the occupation prisons reported that the Zionist prison authorities are engaged in a series of transfers of PFLP leaders within the prisons, beginning with imprisoned PFLP general secretary Ahmad Sa’adat, who was transferred from Shata prison to Gilboa prison on January 25.

The PFLP said that this action was intended to obstruct the efforts of Sa’adat as a leader in the prisons to unify the national prisoners’ movement and build the struggle within the prisons, and that Sa’adat and other leaders of the prisoners’ movement are always subject to vindictive measures and are closely monitored by the Zionist prison authorities in attempts to obstruct their leadership and influence within the prisons.

On February 2, the PFLP prison branch announced that another leader, Wael Jaghoub, had been transferred from Ramon prison to Shata prison, linking Jaghoub’s transfer to Sa’adat’s, and saying that “this action is part of an ongoing campaign by the occupation Prison authority against the prisoners’ leadership in various Israeli jails, including the leadership of the PFLP, so as to sabotage efforts to build the unity and activity of the prisoners’ movement and undermine activities to re-activate the protest movements inside the prison against the abuses of the prison authorities.”

Sa’adat, the PFLP’s leader, is serving a 30-year sentence since he was kidnapped from a Palestinian Authority prison in 2006 with his comrades; Jaghoub is serving a life sentence and has been held in Israeli prisons since 2001.

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