Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Comrade Abu Daqqa addresses prisoner support conference in Vienna

PFLP website

Comrade Dr. Maryam Abu Daqqa, member of the Political Bureau of the PFLP, and the president of the Palestinian Women's Studies and Development Association, participated as a main speaker in Vienna, Austria at the International Platform Against Isolation symposium on December 4-5, 2010. The annual international conference focuses on support and solidarity for political prisoners around the world, particularly those facing isolation and solitary confinement.

She spoke about the siege on Gaza and the imprisonment of 1 1/2 million Palestinians, as well as the fascist practices of the occupation against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. She discussed the ongoing denial of family visits to prisoners and medical neglect faced by Palestinian prisoners, as well as the leadership of the Palestinian prisoners movement, including by those subject to the isolation cells, like PFLP General Secretary Ahmad Sa'adat. She noted the Israeli policy of jailing Palestinian national leaders like Sa'adat, Marwan Barghouthi and Raed Salah.
She called for a larger and broader international campaign to support Palestinian prisoners and their families, demanding their release and the release of all political prisoners in the world. Furthermore, she emphasized that the Palestinian people will continue resistance until liberation, emphasizing that it was the duty of all international progressive forces to do their utmost to support that struggle.

The conference welcomed Comrade Abu Daqqa's speech warmly, cheering at the mention of Comrade Sa'adat's name. It issued a statement calling for freedom for prisoners in Palestine, Iraq, Turkey, and all over the world.

While in Vienna, Comrade Abu Daqqa also organized another lecture at the Palestinian community center in Vienna, discussing Palestinian national unity and the status of Palestinian women, as well as celebrating the 43rd anniversary of the PFLP.