Samer al-Barq enters fourth year in administrative detention without charge or trial

14 July 2013

Samer al-Barq is entering his fourth year in administrative detention, without charge or trial, said the Palestinian Prisoners Study Centre.

Al-Barq was transferred from Jordanian captivity to occupation forces at the Karama crossing on July 11, 2010, and immediately placed under administrative detention without charge, said Amina Tawil of the Centre. She said that he engaged in several hunger strikes demanding his release, for 30 days, 125 days, and 43 days. He was repeatedly promised that a deal would be arranged in which he would be deported to Egypt from which he would return to Pakistan, the country of his wife’s citizenship, but these promises were never fulfilled.

He suffered severe medical consequences of his hunger strike, dropping in weight from 93 to 72 kilograms, suffering kidney disease, high blood pressure and low blood sugar. His administrative detention was renewed again in late June for another six months.

Samer al-Barq’s story in many ways captures the transnational security alliances of the US and its allies. He was arrested in Pakistan and held for three months in a secret US detention facility in 2003, from which he was transferred to Jordan. He was held by Jordanian intelligence for four years and then released in January 28. He worked at a medical laboratory, and his wife travelled from Pakistan to join him. He was then re-arrested by Jordanian secret services and transferred to the Israelis. At no point has he been charged with or tried for any crime. During his imprisonment without charge or trial he has been interrogated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, among others.

Thaer Halahleh moved to Ramle prison clinic following health crisis

14 July 2013

Palestinian political prisoner and former hunger striker Thaer Halahleh has been transferred from Ofer prison to Ramla prison clinic following further deterioration in his health conditions, as he suffers from Hepatitis C, which he was infected with during a dental operation at Askelan Occupation prison.

Halahleh, who was released last June after a 77-day hunger strike conducted with fellow administrative detainee Bilal Diab, was re-arrested in April. Once again he has not been charged; Halahleh has been arrested eight times and served six and one half years in Israeli Occupation prisons. He has never been charged with a crime or tried; at all times he has been held without charges or under administrative detention.

Totah and Abu Arafah barred from Jerusalem, sentenced to 30 months in Israeli prison

14 July 2013

Two Palestinian legislators, Mohammed Totah and former minister Khaled Abu Arafah were sentenced on July 11 to 30 months in occupation prisons and deported from Jerusalem, their home city. Both were arrested on January 23, 2012 at their sit-in at the International Committee of the Red Cross in Jerusalem.

Like previous Palestinian parliamentarians Ahmed Attoun and Mohammad Abu Teir, Totah and Abu Arafah were barred from entering Jerusalem and threatened with six months in Israeli prisons if they enter their own city.

The elected officials took refuge at the Red Cross building in East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah in July 2010 along with lawmaker Ahmad Attoun after Israel revoked their residency permits.

Former prisoner al-Taj to go to Austria for medical treatment

14 July 2013

Ma’an reported on July 13 that a medical center in Austria has agreed to treat freed prisoner Mohamad al-Taj. Al-Taj, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis and heart hypertrophy, is a former prisoner who was released from Israeli prisons in April, following two hunger strikes, due to his poor health.

He was released shortly after the death of Maysara Abuhamdieh, who suffered from cancer and who died in Israeli custody, chained to his hospital bed, after being denied treatment for a lengthy period of time.

Al-Taj had launched a hunger strike on July 7, demanding the Palestinian Authority take action to support his needed healthcare. His medical records were sent to Europe in May, and he hoped a country would offer him a lung transplant. He told Ma’an that the minister of detainees received approval for him to be treated in a Vienna medical center.

He will be initially treated with medication then according to his body’s response the doctors will determine if a transplant is needed. His treatment will be funded by the Palestinian Authority, which will transfer the expenses to the medical center, he added.

Israel lifts publication ban on the kidnapping of Wael abu Rida from Egypt

14 July 2013

Israeli media reported on Wednesday, July 10, that Wael Abu Rida, a Palestinian from Gaza, was kidnapped by Israeli Mossad agents from Egypt, in the Sinai, a case first reported by Palestinian media on June 23, reaching international press on June 30. It was not until July 10, however, that an Israeli judge cleared news of the kidnapping for publication.

At the same time, the court extended Abu Rida’s detention for eight days. Judge Yuval Livadaro allowed the publication of some details in Israeli media, but extended the gag order of other details by 10 days.

The detainee’s wife, Amani Abu Rida, had reported to Ma’an that her husband disappeared during a visit to Egypt for medical treatment. The couple traveled together to Egypt on June 6. Wael Abu Rida suffers cerebral atrophy and sought treatment at a hospital in central Sinai, his wife said.

On June 21, Wael received a phone call and left without returning, his wife said.

The family later received a phone call from the International Committee of the Red Cross informing them that Wael was in Israeli custody, without giving any reason for the arrest. After the phone call, Amani returned to the Gaza Strip.

Former political prisoner Khader Adnan expresses solidarity with California hunger strikers

10 July 2013

Sheikh Khader Adnan is a former Palestinian Political Prisoner and hunger striker whose protest about being detained without charge attracted worldwide attention. He refused food for 66 days and was freed earlier this year. Below is his message, from Addameer:

The policy of isolation is a cheap weapon in the hands of those who hold power. The policy of isolation is used against American citizens who are victims of the political, economic and social order/system that thrives on greed, discrimination and the deprived, including the African-Americans and Palestinian resistors such as Sameeh Hamoudeh and Sami Al-Aryan.

The policy of isolation exposes the ugly face of these false democracies that are guilty of occupation, tyranny and social repression.

Hunger strikes are a courageous step and a real tool for all those who are deprived of their rights to lift the existing oppression, and I hope that these prisoners will gain their rights and their demands. Today, the hunger strikes of the Palestinian prisoners inspires those who are detained to engage in hunger strikes to guarantee that they are treated humanely and with respect and dignity.

I am a former administrative detainee in the Israeli Occupations’ prisons, who has been subjected to the unjust isolation policy. I fought in a hunger strike for 66 consecutive days against the policy of administrative detention, my detention without charge or trial. I announce my full solidarity with my oppressed brothers in the American prisons and I ask that the American people and government end the policy of isolation of the detainees and prisoners, and comply by human rights law that forbids continuous isolation because of its destructive effects on the mental and physical health of detainees.

Video: Mahmoud Sarsak speaks out

10 July 2013

Palestinian soccer player, former political prisoner and long-term hunger striker recently shared the story of his experiences in occupation prisons with audiences in the UK. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has made the following video of Sarsak telling his story available:

PPS: Palestinian prisoner launches new hunger strike

10 July 2013

The Palestinian Prisoners Society said on Wednesday July 10 that prisoner Abdul Majed Khuderat in Megiddo prison declared that he has begun an open hunger strike July 1, protesting against his re-arrest after he was released in the prisoner exchange of October 2011. Khuderat was arrested on May 16, and sentenced to 14 years in jail. He served 9 years of his sentence prior to his release and is being threatened with the re-imposition of his full sentence.

Israeli occupation forces abduct Lebanese shepherd

9 July 2013

Press TV reported that Israeli troops have abducted a Lebanese shepherd from the occupied Shebaa farms in southern Lebanon.

An Israeli commando force of 15 soldiers crossed the border of the Shebaa farms on Monday, abducting Lebanese shepherd Youssef Hussein Rhayyel.

Rhayyel was taken to an Israeli military post in the occupied farms.

The Israeli regime forces informed the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of the abduction.

“UNIFIL duly informed the Lebanese army about the kidnap operation, whilst UNIFIL General Commander, Paolo Serra is holding necessary contacts to ensure the release of the shepherd,” said UNIFIL spokesperson, Andrea Tinenti.

Lebanese army reportedly said in a statement that Rhayyel was kidnapped inside the liberated part of Shebaa region.

On July 2, Israeli soldiers abducted two other shepherds from an area near the town of Shebaa. The men were freed a day later.

The Israeli military frequently violates Lebanon’s airspace, territorial waters and border.

The violations contravene United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the war of aggression Israel launched on Lebanon in 2006, calls on Tel Aviv to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

30,000 California prisoners launch hunger strike, plan Saturday rally

9 July 2013

Media Updates on Joint Prisoners’ Struggle: The Electronic Intifada covered prison struggles from California, to Palestine, to Guantanamo, in a comprehensive piece by Nora Barrows-Friedman, while the San Francisco Bay View shared Palestinian support for the California prisoners’ strike.

30,000 prisoners in California began a massive hunger strike throughout the state’s prison system on Monday, July 8. “This is likely the largest prison strike in U.S. history. The prisoners have five demands, centered on stopping long-term solitary confinement, group punishment and administrative abuse, as well as other issues of appalling prison conditions, many of which can be classified as torture. The strike is uniting prisoners across lines of race and nationality throughout the California prison system,” wrote Fight Back News Service.

The striking prisoners have organized for months, with five key demands:

1. End Group Punishment & Administrative Abuse.
2. Abolish the Debriefing Policy, and Modify Active/Inactive Gang Status Criteria.
3. Comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons 2006. Recommendations Regarding an End to Long-Term Solitary Confinement.
4. Provide Adequate and Nutritious Food.
5. Expand and Provide Constructive Programming and Privileges for those living in the SHU.

The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network also expressed its solidarity with the strike, noting “Both Israel and the US use policing, imprisonment (and especially solitary confinement), and surveillance as tools of political repression—often sharing technology and training. In the US, the prison industrial complex plays a central role in American racism—harassing and incarcerating Black and Brown youth, brutalizing Black and Brown bodies, and devastating communities of color. Israel plays a significant role in the training of police forces in the United States and elsewhere in population control and Israel and the US share technologies and strategies of surveillance and repression across borders…”

Updates on the strike are being covered extensively at the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity website: http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/ A mass rally is planned for July 13:

TAKE ACTION (Action requests from the Hunger Strike Solidarity site):

NEW Statement from Pelican Bay Short Corridor Representatives (July 9, 2013)

We are grateful for your support of our peaceful protest against the state-sanctioned torture that happens not only here at Pelican Bay but in prisons everywhere. We have taken up this hunger strike and work stoppage, which has included 30,000 prisoners in California so far, not only to improve our own conditions but also an act of solidarity with all prisoners and oppressed people around the world.

We encourage everyone to take action to support the strike wherever they live. Sign the petition demanding California Governor stop the torture; plan rolling solidarity fasts if you are able; use every means to spread the word; and participate in non-violent direct action to put pressure on decision-makers.

If it was not for your support, we would have died in 2011. Thank you everyone. We are confident we will prevail.

In Solidarity,

– Todd Ashker, C-58191, PBSP-SHU, D4-121

– Arturo Castellanos, C-17275, PBSP-SHU, D1-121

– Sitawa Nantambu Jamaa (Dewberry), C-35671, PBSP-SHU,D1-117

– Antonio Guillen, P-81948, PBSP-SHU, D2-106

The PBSP-SHU Short Corridor Representatives

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