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September 13, London: Protest in solidarity with hunger striker Alaa Hammad & other 25 Jordanians in Israeli prisons

Inminds is organizing a protest in London on September 13 at the Royal Jordanian Airlines office, drawing attention to the struggles of Palestinian prisoners with Jordanian citizenship being held in Israeli prisons, including hunger striker Alaa Hammad.

Friday 13th September 4:30-6:30pm – Royal Jordanian Airlines
1 Beadon Road, London W60ER
Closest tube station : Hammersmith

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/225365090948407/

After 100 days on hunger strike 4 of the 5 Jordanian hunger strikers have suspended their strike after the Israeli prison service agreed to allow family visits for the first time. The hunger strikers didn’t achieve their objective of being freed or being returned to Jordan to serve their remaining sentences, but never the less it was a victory considering that some of them have not been allowed to see their families for 13 years.

All the men have lost around 30kg in weight and some have lost their ability to walk and are confined to wheelchairs. It was a torturous 100 days with the Israeli prison service putting immense pressure on the men to stop their strikes.
hammadprot
Mohammad Al-Rimawi, who suffers from a heart disorder where sometimes his heart beat is 125 and sometimes it drops to 50 beats per minute, was denied his medicine by the Israeli Prison Service until he agreed to stop his hunger strike. The day before he stopped – on his 99th day without food – on the eve of Eid, 5 soldiers shackled his hands and legs and threw him from his hospital bed to the ground and began savagely beating him with not a single Israeli doctor or nurse coming to his defense. The officers told Mohammad Al-Rimawi that they can treat him with violence and force with impunity because of lack of international attention on him and in particular Jordan who will not lift a finger to help him.

Two weeks before on 26th June 2013 the Israeli guards had brutally attacked Abdullah Al-Barghouti, again whilst he was in hospital – they dragged him from his hospital bed to the concrete floor and kicked him in the face leaving him bleeding. When a lawyer visited him on 7th August his condition remained critical, with problems with his liver, low blood pressure and constant migraines. Unable to walk, he is left shackled to his bed with threats of force feeding should he fall into a coma.

Under these conditions it was a miracle that the prisoners managed 100 days of hunger strike. That in itself was their victory. The defeat was ours – the prisoners gave activists around the world 100 days to mobilize and pressure the Jordanian government in to action.. but we failed them.

Now the only Jordanian prisoner still on hunger strike is Ala’ Hammad and his condition is very precarious. On 5 August Hammad fainted and remained unconscious for five hours, ignored by the Israeli doctors. After finally receiving treatment Hammad regained consciousness.

Currently there are 26 Jordanian citizens that Israel has confirmed are in its prisons and another 21 missing which Israel has not accounted for. There are also unmarked ‘numbered graves’ of Jordanians who have died in prison..

One of the 26 is the child prisoner Mohammad Mahdi Saleh Suleiman. Now 17 years old, he is the youngest Jordanian in an Israeli prison. He has been severely tortured at Al Jalame – the notorious Israeli children’s dungeon. One of the missing 21 Jordanians is Laith Al-Kinani, he has been missing for 6 years. Mohammed Mahdi’s father and Laith’s parents have protested everyday for the last three months in front of the Jordanian Parliament and Royal Palace with no response from the government.

There have been over 90 demonstrations in Jordan by the families of the prisoners – elderly mothers standing in the burning sun, at several protests each day! Even a 22km solidarity march from one city to another.. All of this falling on deaf ears with the Jordanian government shamefully abandoning the prisoners and according to some accounts even pressuring the prisoners to give up their hunger strike.

Terrified by the iron will of the families and friends of the hunger strikers to relentlessly carry on protesting everyday and the support and respect they garner in wider society and the resulting momentum building up to end the states total submission to every whim of the Zionist enemy, the Jordanian security services have come down very hard on the protesting families. Family members have been threatened with arrest if they persist to champion their loved ones in Israeli dungeons. They dragged away a 16 year old boy, a nephew of one of the hunger strikes, to prison and locked him up for 3 days – his crime was to hand out a leaflet about his uncles’ imprisonment in an Israeli prison. On another occasion, wearing military camouflage uniforms that have never seen service on the enemy front line, the security forces with batons drawn, attacked a peaceful protest with plain cloths security service personnel cowardly targeting hunger striker Muneer Meree’s brother, assaulting him before disappearing back behind the uniform lines.

Its with this backdrop of intimidation, that we made contact with activists in Jordan. The families and campaigners in Jordan courageously, at great personal risk to themselves, asked us to help internationalise the campaign by protesting in solidarity with them in London. Having protested twice outside the Jordanian Embassy in London we will now notch the campaign up a gear by targeting Jordanian interests in the UK starting on 19th August with a protest outside the Jordan International Bank in Knightsbridge, which is partly owned by the Jordanian government, and then on 13th September a protest outside the Royal Jordanian Airlines office in Hammersmith.

We will protest in solidarity with Ala’ Hammad’s continued hunger strike, and for the child prisoner Mohammad Mehdi Saleh Suleiman and for the missing son Laith Al-Kinani and for the release of all the Palestinian prisoners. Lets not fail them, please join us on both these protests.

Hunger Strikers’ Update: Administrative detention extended, Batran’s brother arrested

Carlos Latuff - 2012
Carlos Latuff – 2012

Hunger striking Palestinian prisoner Ayman al-Tabeesh, on strike since May 23, administrative detention order was extended again for four months on August 28; he is striking to demand his freedom. Mohammad al-Tabeesh, his brother, has been striking since June 12, and is held in Afula hospital. Mohammad launched his strike in solidarity with his brother.

Also held in Kaplan hospital is fellow hunger striker Adel Hareebat, who also launched his strike on May 23. Hareebat and al-Tabeesh reported that they are suffering from arbitrary repressive practices in the hospital including being denied time to pray.

Imad Batran, who had been on hunger strike since May 3, ended his hunger strike on August 20 after prison officials agreed to not seek extension of his administrative detention when it expires on November 15.  He will have spent two years in administrative detention by that date. However, on August 27, Israeli forces raided his brother’s shop in Al-Khalil and detained his brother Mohammad Batran. Mohammad has spent over 6 years in Israeli jails.

Ayman Hamdan has been on hunger strike since April 28 to protest his administrative detention without charge or trial. On August 14, his administrative detention was extended again; he was arrested on August 21, 2012. On August 27, that detention was announced to be extended for a four-month period. His lawyer is appealing the administrative detention order.

Also remaining on hunger strike are Abdul Majid Khdairat, who has been striking since July 1 and Alaa Hammad, one of the five Palestinian prisoners with Jordanian citizenship who continued his strike after the other four suspended them; he has been striking since May 2.

Hussam Matar suspends hunger strike after 90 days

matar-childreHunger striking Palestinian prisoner Hussam Matar, 30, announced the suspension of his hunger strike on Thursday, August 29, after 90 days of strike. His wife announced that Matar suspended his strike after the prison administration agreed to reconsider his life sentence and to allow him private visits with his family members, which he has been denied. Matar launched his open hunger strike in early June and suffered medical consequences of the strike, including kidney and liver problems. He lost over 32 kg during the hunger strike, was denied visits, and isolated in a small cell.

He is married with two children, Saqr, 7, and Nasrallah, 5. He was arrested on October 19, 2007 and is serving a life sentence.

Fellow striker Abdel Majid Khdairat is suffering from new health difficulties, including a kidney infection, breathing problems, and severe back pain. His strike began on July 1, and he has lost 27 kg since beginning his strike. Israeli prison guards punished Khdairat by not allowing any visits for 6 months and banned him from buying anything at the prison canteen.

Halahleh’s health continues to suffer

thaerhalahlehPalestinian prisoner Thaer Halahleh is suffering from worsening health, warned the Palestinian Prisoners club on August 29. Halahleh, a former hunger striker who was freed in 2012, was re-arrested in April 2013. He contracted the hepatitis C virus during a dental operation during his previous imprisonment in Israeli prisons where improper sterilization was used.

Halahleh is suffering from abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, and back pain, said the Club, who also said that Halahleh was not receiving proper treatment for hepatitis C. The Club said it expected Halahleh to be transferred to Ramle prison clinic, and called upon Palestinian institutions to raise awareness about his case and act to save his life.

Abu Sisi suspends hunger strike, wins agreement to end his isolation

dirarabusisiUFree reported that on August 28, 2013, the Palestinian detainee and hunger striker Dirar Abu Sisi has ended his hunger strike a short while ago following an agreement with the Israeli Prison Service to end his solitary confinement.

According to Kasr Al Qaid organisation, Dirar Abu Sisi has reached an agreement with the Israeli Prison Services (IPS) to end his hunger strike after 13 days in a row.

The agreement states:

1- Abu Sisi will be transferred in seven days from solitary confinement to another prison with better living conditions.
2- Three Palestinian prisoners will share Abu Sisi the same prison cell.
3- Abu Sisi will live in the same detention conditions as the other regular sections i.e. food and break time.
4- Following his trial on 15th September 2013, Dirar will be transferred to other sections.

Dirar Abu Sisi has been held in solitary confinement since 2011, when he was kidnapped by Israeli intelligence from a train in the Ukraine and returned to an Israeli prison.

Myassar Atyani detained for two additional weeks

myassar-atianiRiad 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

Linan Abu Ghoulmeh on her previous release from prison
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

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!

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

aigbjaha

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

qatameshPalestinian 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