Myassar Atyani detained for two additional weeks

29 August 2013

Riad al-Ashqar of the Prisoners Centre for Studies reported that Salem Military Court has extended Myassar Atyani‘s detention for a full two weeks. Her next hearing will be on September 11, 2013.

Atyani was detained with Linan Abu Ghoulmeh and Leena Jawabreh on August 15 in 1948 occupied Palestine where they were visiting their friend, fellow released prisoner Woroud Qasem.

On Thursday, August 22, Leena Jawabreh was sentenced to 30 days (one month) in Israeli prisons, and a 1000 NIS fine. On Sunday, August 25, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh was sentenced to 60 days (two months) in Israeli prisons and a 1000 NIS fine. Myassar Atyani’s detention was extended first for four days and then again for two additional weeks.

Linan Abu Ghoulmeh sentenced to 60 days and 1000 NIS fine

25 August 2013

Linan Abu Ghoulmeh on her previous release from prison

Linan Abu Ghoulmeh was sentenced today to 2 months (60 days) in Israeli prisons for entering without a permit, and a fine of 1000 NIS. Myassar Atyani’s detention was continued until Wednesday, August 28 when she will face another hearing. Earlier, Leena Jawabreh was sentenced to 1 month (30 days) and a 1000 NIS fine on the same charges. For more info and to take action on their cases, see: http://samidoun.net/2013/08/action-alert-three-leading-palestinian-women-prisoners-activists-arrested-take-action/

Linan Abu Ghoulmeh is a former prisoner who was last released from administrative detention on October 18, 2011 as part of the prisoner exchange.

Abu Sisi launches hunger strike to demand end of isolation; prisoners organize to support him

24 August 2013

Dirar Abu Sisi, a Palestinian engineer who ran the Gaza Strip’s power plant before he was abducted from the Ukraine while on a train trip by Israeli intelligence agents in 2011, and has been held in solitary confinement since that time, launched an open hunger strike that was publicly announced on Thursday, August 22, after he had already been striking for at least three days.

Abu Sisi is demanding an end to his solitary confinement. He was moved to a hospital in Ramle from Eshel prison on Friday, August 23 after a decline in his health.

Israeli officials publicly declared their retaliation against Abu Sisi, saying that all personal items and electronics save a fan had been taken from him.

Palestinian prisoners in several prisons declared that Israel Prison Services had 48 hours to end Abu Sisi’s isolation before prisoners would isolate their resistance, demanding an end to his solitary confinement. Prisoners plan to escalate their tactics, and include a first group of prisoners launching open-ended hunger strikes on Sunday, August 25, and to announce their names as “Dirar Abu Sisi” daily in morning roll call rather than their own names.

Fuad Khuffash of the Ahrar Centre announced these plans, saying that additional prisoners would continue to join the strike until Abu Sisi is released from solitary confinement.

The UFree Network is organizing a campaign to support Abu Sisi – their petition can be signed here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/supportdirarabusisi/

UFree produced the following video on Abu Sisi’s case:

August 30 – London: Protest of G4S – Free the Hares Boys! Free the Nablus 3!

24 August 2013

On Friday 30th August we will be protesting outside G4S HQ in London in solidarity with the Hares Boys – five Palestinian children tortured and caged in a G4S secured Israeli prison facing life sentence for a crime that never happened! (See below for details of their case)

We will also be expanding our campaign against G4S to include its complicity in the abuse of Palestinian women prisoners. Currently there are 13 Palestinian women detainees in Israeli prisons, all of them are in a G4S secured prison. In particular we will focus on three Palestinian women activists were were seized just a week ago – the Nablus 3, and campaign for their immediate and unconditional release.

Friday 30th August 2013
5-7pm @ G4S HQ
Southside Building,
105 Victoria Street,
London SW1E 6QT
Closest tube station : Victoria

JOIN FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/551059231596101/

FREE THE HARES BOYS – PROTEST G4S COMPLICITY IN THEIR TORTURE

On 14th March 2013 in what appears to have been a car accident when a illegal settler car crashed in to the back of an Israeli truck which had stopped due to a flat tire resulting in four people being hurt, was later at the behest of angry settlers presented as an attack by Palestinian stone throwing youth.

Over the next few days over 50 masked Israeli soldiers stormed the local village of Hares in the early hours of the morning and in waves of violent arrests kidnapped the children of the village. In total 19 children were taken to the infamous G4S secured children’s dungeon at Al Jalame where they were violently tortured and locked up in solitary confinement for up to 2 weeks in windowless 1m by 2m cells with no mattress. To coerce confessions from the boys, sexual threats were made against the female members of their families.

After extracting confessions under torture, five of the Hares boys were charged with 25 counts of attempted murder even though there were only four people in the car. Apparently the military court had decided that 25 stones were thrown, each with an “intent to kill”. The five boys – Ali Shamlawi, Mohammed Kleib, Mohammed Mahdi Saleh Suleiman, Tamer Souf, and Ammar Souf are currently locked up in another G4S secured facility – Megiddo prison where G4S provides the entire central command room.

The children have got three court hearing in August and two more in September. A study conducted by the Israeli NGO ‘No Legal Frontiers’ over a 12 month period concluded that 100% of Palestinian children brought before the Military court are convicted. If the five boys are convicted they will be locked up for 25+ years – five young lives ruined with no evidence of a crime let alone their guilt.

Further information:

Hares Boys website: http://haresboys.wordpress.com/

Video where parents of Ali Shamlawi describe the torture their son endured leading to his forced confession: http://youtu.be/MANc8H2Mk2U

Palestinian Prisoners Campaign homepage: http://www.inminds.com/caged

FREE LINAN, MYASSAR & LEENA #FreeNablus3

Since 1967 more than 12,000 Palestinian women have been imprisoned by Israel. Most recently on 15th August three Palestinian women activists from Nablus, all former prisoners – Leena Jawabreh, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh and Myassar Atyani were seized whilst visiting a friend in ’48 Palestine. Leena was sentenced today to one month imprisonment and 1000 shekel fine for traveling in her own land without an Israeli permit. Linan and Myassar’s hearing is on Sunday.

Linan Abu Ghoulmeh is a former political prisoner who was held in Israeli prisons for over five years from 2004 until 2009, when she was released in a prisoner exchange; she was then re-arrested in July 2010, when she was imprisoned until the October 2011 prisoner exchange.

Myassar Atyani, a leading prisoners’ rights activist, was repeatedly subject to arrests in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been one of the leading organizers of campaigns in solidarity with the prisoners, and particularly the hunger strikers.

Leena Jawabreh served four years in Israeli prisons until her release on July 16, 2008. She has organized multiple actions and solidarity hunger strikes in support of Palestinian prisoners, in particular women prisoners.

We are demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the three women activists and all the women prisoners. Currently, there are in total 13 Palestinian women detainees, all of them caged in Israel’s infamous HaSharon prison.

HaSharon prison is illegally located outside the 1967 occupied territory, in direct contravention of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which states that an Occupying Power must detain residents of occupied territory in prisons inside the occupied territory. HaSharon prison is secured by the British Danish security firm G4S. G4S provides the full security system including the whole central command room for the entire prison where all 13 Palestinian women detainees are caged and abused.

At HaSharon prison Palestinian women prisoners have to endure beatings, insults, threats, sexually explicit harassment and sexual violence, and humiliation at the hands of Israeli guards. Often they are forced to undergo degrading and intrusive body searches during the middle of the night for no reason other an as a punitive measure. Women have been beaten and left tied to their bed for a day and a half and not allowed to go to the toilet as punishment for spilling water. The women are denied family visits.

The cells at Hashoron prison are overcrowded, dirty and infected with mice and cockroaches. There is a total absence of basic hygiene, women have even been denied sanitary pads when menstruating. The heat is unbearable, The windows are closed and covered so that hardly any air or daylight can enter. The food is insufficient, of inferior quality or even spoilt, it is dirty, often containing insects and worms, and sometimes there are not enough portions for all the women.

We hold G4S directly culpable for its complicity in these Israeli crimes and demand that they immediately cancel all their contracts with the Israeli Prison Service and cease all business dealings with Israel.

PROTEST FRIDAY 30th AUGUST

Please join us on Friday 30th August to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all the women and children and to hold G4S to account for its complicity in Israel’s crimes, particularly in the torture of Palestinian children and abuse of Palestinian women.

Friday 30th August 2013
5-7pm @ G4S HQ
Southside Building,
105 Victoria Street,
London SW1E 6QT
Closest tube station : Victoria

Live updates during protest

We will, inshAllah, be tweeting live (hash tags #FreeHaresBoys #FreeNablus3 ) 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.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inmindscom-Boycott-Israel/365007213584914

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.

Ahmad Qatamesh’s administrative detention extended for seventh time

24 August 2013

Palestinian writer Ahmad Qatamesh‘s administrative detention was extended for the seventh time on in an Israeli military court on August 24, 2013. No reasons were given for the extension.

Qatamesh, a Palestinian political writer and university lecturer, was taken from his home by Israeli forces on April 21, 2011. Prior to his current administrative detention, he spent a previous six years, from 1992 until 1998, in administrative detention.

Amnesty International, among many others, has called for his release.

Qatamesh’s lawyer noted that the policy of administrative detention violates international law and is a flagrant violation of basic human rights to know why one is detained and be given the opportunity to defend himself. He demanded an end to the policy of administrative detention.

Article by Ahmad’s daughter Haneen about his arrest: http://electronicintifada.net/content/when-israeli-soldiers-came-arrest-my-father/9901

Addameer profile of Ahmad Qatamesh:
http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=156

1998 interview with Ahmad Qatamesh:

http://www.freearabvoice.org/interviewSeniorAdministrativeDetaineeQatamesh.htm

In 1999, Ahmad Qatamesh was detained by the Palestinian Authority for joining a protest against corruption: http://www.phrmg.org/pressrelease/1999/04dec1999.htm

Write to Ahmad Qatamesh:
Ahmad Qatamesh, Ofer Prison, Givat Zeev, PO Box 3007, via Israel

Leena Jawabreh sentenced to 1 month and 1000 shekel fine

22 August 2013

Leena Jawabreh was sentenced to one month in Israeli prison today and a fine of $1000 shekels for entering Palestine ’48 (Israel) without a permit. Myassar Atyani and Linan Abu Ghoulmeh will have hearings upcoming on Sunday.

To take action on their case, please see our alert: http://samidoun.net/2013/08/action-alert-three-leading-palestinian-women-prisoners-activists-arrested-take-action/

Lawyers, Advocates: Prison Hunger Strike Force Feeding Order Political Attack on Peaceful Protest

22 August 2013

Strikers Vow to Continue, Prisoners Rejoin Strike, Supporters Redouble Efforts

Oakland—As prisoners enter their 46th day of the massive California prison hunger strike, supporters continue to condemn Monday’s controversial court order that authorizes force feeding of strike participants and that disregards their medical wishes. According to lawyers just back from a visit to Pelican Bay, the order has emboldened prisoners to continue their strike, while others have decided to rejoin the strike in response to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) attack.

Attorney Anne Weills met with strikers in Pelican Bay Tuesday and Wednesday. “Although some have lost around 30 pounds and are getting significantly weaker, they are still very sharp intellectually and are still deeply united in their struggle for a life with dignity,” said Weills. “They are very much committed to their demands and are waiting for Governor Brown to send someone to Pelican Bay to negotiate about those demands.”

Weills reported that prisoners were disturbed that the Judge who signed the controversial order, along with the Prison Law Office and the Medical Receiver’s office would align themselves with the CDCR’s political repression of the peaceful protest. Strike supporters are particularly disturbed and outraged that the order against strikers’ advanced medical directives (AMD) adds legal weight to the CDCR’s sensational, and largely unsubstantiated, propaganda that all strike participation is part of a gang conspiracy. “This is an extraordinary political attack on the hunger strikers,” continued Weills. “ It is even more absurd when a spokesperson for the Medical Receiver’s office stated that among the hunger strikers who have been starving since July 8th, there are very few who have any advanced medical directives in the first place. So who is being coerced? There is not one shred of evidence that has been presented to Judge Henderson that anyone has been coerced to sign anything. Where are the declarations of such a person? Where is a declaration from a real hunger striker which states that they are being coerced? Is this a fraud being perpetrated on a federal judge, who trusts the Plata plaintiff’s attorneys? Why was there no evidentiary hearing?”

“This is a continuation of CDCR’s attacks on a nonviolent protest,” said Dolores Canales of the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition. “We have seen this before. This is about dehumanizing the strikers, delegitimizing their demands, and disrupting the widespread support for the protest coming from the community. But, as always, this will only cause the strikers, their loved ones, and their supports to fight harder.” Amid CDCR’s latest stunts and Gov. Brown’s continued silence, strike supporters are continuing to put pressure on California politicians, demanding action from the state’s Public Safety Committee .

It seems that the CDCR’s plans have backfired as Weills reports prisoners are rejoining the strike. “As a result of recent events and Judge Henderson’s Order, I was told yesterday that more than 50 people in the SHU at Pelican Bay are now going back on hunger strike,” said Weills. “From what I understand, that 50 may turn into 100 very fast, and that many have already been on rolling hunger strikes—going two weeks on, and then two weeks off. This will all continue until an agreement is reached.”

Via http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com

Action Alert: Three leading Palestinian women prisoners’ activists arrested – take action!

19 August 2013

Update: On Thursday, August 22, Leena Jawabreh was sentenced to 30 days (one month) in Israeli prisons, and a 1000 NIS fine. On Sunday, August 25, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh was sentenced to 60 days (two months) in Israeli prisons and a 1000 NIS fine. Myassar Atyani’s case has been held over until Wednesday, August 28.

Riad al-Ashqar of the Prisoners Centre for Studies reported on August 29 that Salem Military Court has extended Myassar Atyani’s detention for a full two weeks. Her next hearing will be on September 11, 2013.

Leena Jawabreh, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh and Myassar Atyani, three Palestinian activists and former prisoners were seized by the Israeli police at 10:00 pm on the evening of August 15 while visiting a friend, former prisoner Woroud Qasem, in the 1948 occupied areas of Palestine. All three are leading campaigners and activists for Palestinian prisoners and are from Nablus district. Their detention was extended at a hearing on August 19. Click here to take action now and pressure for their freedom!

Woroud Qasem, who is from Tira area and holds Israeli citizenship, was released at 2:00 am on Friday and placed under house arrest until a hearing on August 19, her drivers’ license confiscated.

Linan Abu Ghoulmeh is a former political prisoner who was held in Israeli prisons for over five years from 2004 until 2009, when she was released in a prisoner exchange; she was then re-arrested in July 2010, when she was imprisoned until the October 2011 prisoner exchange.

Myassar Atyani, a leading prisoners’ rights activist, was repeatedly subject to arrests in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been one of the leading organizers of campaigns in solidarity with the prisoners, and particularly the hunger strikers. Atyani has spoken internationally on Palestinian prisoners on numerous occasions, including addressing the 2012 U.S. National Lawyers Guild convention via Skype. See one of her interviews: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4jE_R2CMFg

Leena Jawabreh served four years in Israeli prisons until her release on July 16, 2008. She has organized multiple actions and solidarity hunger strikes in support of Palestinian prisoners, in particular women prisoners.

the4 — Leena Jawabreh, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh, Woroud Qasem and Myassar Atyani

All are currently being held in Hasharon prison. A hearing was held on their case on Monday, August 19, in which the detention of Linan Abu Ghoulmeh and Myassar Atyani was extended for 7 days and the detention of Leena Jawabreh was extended for 4 days.

We know these women have many friends, allies and comrades around the world who will rally to support them and demand their freedom. Their detention is clearly an attempt to stop their political work and advocacy for the rights of Palestinian prisoners and the rights of the Palestinian people. They are grassroots leaders and human rights defenders, and beloved members of their community – and of the international community of people of conscience.

Please note that a French call to action has gone out from an organization that organized a sister-city relationship between the French city of Lille and Nablus. While in Nablus, organizers from Lille met with Myassar, Linan and Leena in 2011: http://lillenaplouse.unblog.fr

Please take action today:

1. send the letter below urging the immediate release of Linan Abu Ghoulmeh, Myassar Atyani and Leena Jawabreh.

2. Join a protest or demonstration outside an Israeli consulate for Palestinian prisoners. Join one or announce your own. Organizing an event, action or forum on Palestinian prisoners on your city or campus? Use this form to contact us and we will post the event widely. If you need suggestions, materials or speakers for your event, please contact us at samidoun@samidoun.net.

3. Contact your government officials and demand they put pressure on Israel to free Leena Jawabreh, Linan Abu Ghoulmeh and Myassar Atyani. In Canada, Call the office of John Baird, Foreign Minister, and demand an end to Canadian support for Israel and justice for Palestinian prisoners, at : 613-990-7720; Email: bairdj@parl.gc.ca. In the US, call the office of Elizabeth Jones, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs (1.202.647.7209). Demand that Elizabeth Jones bring this issue urgently to her counterparts in Israel.

Palestinian prisoners are not bargaining chips: Welcome to the released prisoners, struggle until all are free

13 August 2013

Samidoun congratulates the Palestinian people and the prisoners’ families on the release of every prisoner who walks out of the doors of the occupation prisons, and today, the release of 26 veteran prisoners. We did not previously address the announcement that prisoners would be released because Israel has shown, time and again, that it regularly reneges on agreements with Palestinians and particularly with prisoners, and manipulates the issue of the prisoners – the over 5000 hostages behind bars – in an attempt to barter the lives and freedom of the prisoners for Palestinian concessions on land and rights.

The 104 prisoners whose release has been announced, allegedly in stages of 26 prisoners at a time, conditioned upon what Israel has labeled “progress” in the negotiations, are pre-Oslo prisoners, arrested prior to the implementation of the Oslo Declaration of Principles and the establishment of the PA on May 4, 1994. These prisoners have been categorized as “abandoned” by the newly established Palestinian Authority from the time of Oslo’s signing in 1993. These prisoners’ release have been promised on multiple occasions, including in the Sharm el-Sheikh negotiations memorandum of 1999, which noted that “The Government of Israel shall release Palestinian and other prisoners who committed their offences prior to September 13, 1993, and were arrested prior to May 4, 1994.”

The years since Oslo in 1993 have been years of unfulfilled promises, for the prisoners as for Palestinians as a whole. Repeatedly, the release of Palestinian hostages has been held out as a “confidence-building” or “goodwill” measure. However, these same time periods have been characterized by mass arrests, nighttime raids, the wide use of administrative detention without charge or trial, and ongoing mass imprisonment. As Addameer notes, “Indeed, over 23,000 Palestinians have been released since 1993 as “goodwill measures” during various negotiations and peace talks. However, in that same period, at least 86,000 Palestinians have been arrested, including children, women, disabled persons and university students.”

Many of those arrested are former prisoners who were released; the re-arrest of freed prisoners has become a given in any discussion of such releases. The Israeli cabinet (as noted by Addameer) included in its agreement to this release that “The State of Israel reserves the right to take any means necessary against any of the released prisoners if they commit any terrorist and hostile activities as well as returning them to serve the remainder of their sentence, as will be decided by the relevant authorities.” Over 12 prisoners from the prisoner exchange in October 2011 currently are threatened with the re-imposition of their sentences. This phrase means that the prisoners are not released but instead paroled, and can be rearrested at any time at the whim of the occupation. It must be noted that Israeli definitions of hostile activities include participation in demonstrations and marches, “incitement” in speeches and writings, and membership or affiliation with Palestinian political parties.

Israel’s conditioning of the release of the 104 prisoners on the grounds of progress in the negotiations is particularly dangerous. It is clear that the Israeli state considers “progress” to be the building of settlements, expropriation of Palestinian land, and concessions of Palestinian inalienable rights, including the right of return. Palestinian prisoners cannot and will not be used as a bargaining chip on the table of negotiations. They have fought with dignity inside the occupation’s prisons for decades, during which time the so-called “peace process” has accrued no benefits to Palestinian prisoners and indeed, has seen the conditions of confinement deteriorating and under continual pressure to undermine the achievements of the prisoners’ movements over the years.

The heroic Palestinian prisoners will not be used as hostages to silence the Palestinian opposition to negotiations or to broker the concession of inalienable Palestinian rights. Those who marched against the negotiations in Ramallah – and were assaulted and attacked by PA police for challenging those negotiations – include former prisoners and the family members of prisoners and the organizers of countless marches and rallies in support of the hunger strikers and the prisoners’ movement.

Since Oslo, the so-called “peace process” has brought neither peace nor justice to Palestinian prisoners or the Palestinian people as a whole. On the contrary, the struggle of Palestinian prisoners, through hunger strikes, political leadership, and continued dignity, strength and political commitment – has always indicated an alternative path of steadfastness in the face of a relentless occupying power.

Welcome to the released prisoners, heroes of the battle for freedom. We will not rest until every one of your sisters and brothers is free, including the brave hunger strikers, the suffering ill prisoners, and the Palestinian children behind bars.

The names of those released today follow (translations via Addameer)

Fayez Mutaweh Hammad, arrested November 29, 1985, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
Maqdad Ibrahim Ahmad Salah, arrested June 14, 1993, from Nablus, serving a 32-year sentence
Sameer Nayef AbdulGhafar Al-Na’neesh, arrested March 5, 1989, from Nablus, serving a life sentence
Yousef Abdelhameed Yousef Arsheed, arrested March 5, 1993, from Jenin, serving a life sentence
Mustafa Othman Omar Al-Haj, arrested June 20, 1989, from Salfit, serving a life sentence
Salameh Abdallah Salameh Misleh, arrested October 9, 1993, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
Atiyeh Salam Ala Abu Mousa, arrested March 30, 1994, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
Salah Mahmoud Zayid Maqlad, arrested July 14, 1993, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
Mohammad Abd-AlMajeed Mohammad Sawalha, arrested December 2, 1990, from Nablus, serving a life sentence
‘Atef ‘Azat Sh’aban Sha’ath, arrested March 15, 1993, from Gaza, serving 29 years
Yousef Sa’eed Odeh Abdel-Aal, arrested February 20, 1994, from Gaza, serving 22 years
Madhat Fayez Rajeb Burbukh, arrested January 21, 1994, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
Ala Ibrahim Salem Al-Ra’i, arrested April 9, 1994, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
Mohammad Jaber Yousef Nishbet, arrested September 21, 1990, from Gaza, serving 25 years
Sameer Haseen Ghanem Murtaja, arrested October 29, 1993, from Gaza, serving 20 years
Husni Faregh Ahmad Sawalha, arrested December 2, 1990 from Nablus, serving a life sentence
Faraj Salah Abdallah Al-Ramahi, arrested July 14, 1992, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
‘Alaa Aldeen Ahmad Sa’eed Abu-Sitta, arrested January 3, 1994, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
Ayman Taleb Mohammad Abu-Sitta, arrested January 24, 1994, from Gaza, serving a life sentence
Ismat Omar Abd-AlHafeed Mansour, arrested October 29, 1993, from Ramallah, serving 22 years
Khaled Mohammad Ahmad Askara, arrested May 1, 1991, from Bethlehem, serving a life sentence
Nehad Yousef Radwan Jandiyeh, arrested July 14, 1989, from Gaza, serving 25.5 years
Mohammad Mahmoud Awad Hamdiyeh, arrested July 14, 1989, from Gaza, serving 25.5 years
Jameel Abd-AlWahab Jamal Al-Natsheh, arrested December 15, 1992, from Hebron (al-Khalil) serving 21 years
Taher Mohammad Taher Ziyad, arrested February 6, 1993, from Jenin, serving 21 years
Burham Abd-Hammad Sbeih, arrested February 18, 2001, from Jenin, serving a life sentence (note: it is not clear why Burham Sbeih is included in this release, described as of pre-Oslo prisoners)

Recommended resource: Addameer factsheet on negotiations and pre-Oslo prisoners

Reference: Palestinian diaspora statement against negotiations

Jordanian prisoners suspend hunger strike following agreement on family visits after 100 days

11 August 2013

5pris The Palestinian prisoners holding Jordanian citizenship have suspended their hunger strike following concessions from the Israeli prison authorities to allow them regular family visits from their family members in Jordan. This was reported in a press conference held in Amman by family members of the prisoners on August 11, 2013.

The five Jordanian hunger strikers are Abdullah Barghouthi, Mohammad Rimawi, Muneer Mar’i, Hamza Othman al-Dabbas and Alaa Hammad. They have been striking since May 2, 2013, for 100 days.

The first visit will take place on August 27, and will be for four hours, without glass or bars between the prisoners and their family members. After this, the visits will be available on a monthly basis for two family members per prisoner. An agreement has been signed to this effect, which will also apply to fellow Palestinian prisoner Ibrahim Hamed, whose wife is in Jordan. Barghouthi had not seen his family for 13 years; Rimawi has been denied family visits for 5 years.

There are reports that Alaa Hammad is still on open hunger strike and has not suspended his strike as part of this agreement.

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