PALESTINIAN PRISONERS’ DAY – Take Action to call for Freedom for Palestinian Prisoners!

Samidoun

Background | Actions | Events Around the World | Act now: Write the ICRC

• Global Call to Action and Endorsers of Prisoners’ Day
• Download Factsheets for Prisoners’ Day
• Watch Prisoners’ Video Testimony
• Act now: Write the ICRC
• Palestinian Prisoners’ Day International Events

April 17, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, is a global day of action for Palestinian prisoners. Events will take place around the world in support of Palestinian prisoners (see below for details.) As Prisoners’ Day dawns, 10 Palestinian prisoners are currently on hunger strike, including Bilal Diab and Tha’ir Halahleh, two administrative detainees held without charge or trial who are both nearing 50 days of hunger strike. Thousands more Palestinian prisoners plan to join in a massive hunger strike to launch April 17. International solidarity is needed!

• Tweet now: Act for #PalestinianPrisoners on #April17! Resources, events around the world, take action now! http://samidoun.ca/?p=654 

There are approximately 4,600 Palestinian political prisoners inside Israeli jails. Palestinians, living under occupation and oppression for nearly 64 years, have been targeted for mass imprisonment and detention by the Israeli occupation. Nearly every Palestinian family has been touched by political imprisonment – a father, mother, son, daughter, sister, brother, cousin, uncle, aunt – from the elderly to children.
Palestinian political prisoners are also political leaders. 27 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, including Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine General Secretary Ahmad Sa’adat, Fateh leader Marwan Barghouthi, and the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Abdel-Aziz Dweik, who represents Hamas, are held in Israeli prisons. Ameer Makhoul, one of the Palestinian prisoners who is also a citizen of Israel, was general director of Ittijah – The Union of Arab Community-Based Associations and the Chairman of the Public Committee for the Defense of Political Freedom.
Writers, scholars, students and artists are also Palestinian political prisoners, including Palestinian scholar Dr. Ahmed Qatamesh, who has now been held without trial or charge for nearly a year, Dr. Yousef Abdul Haq, a professor at An-Najah University whose administrative detention was just extended for an additional six months, and Ola Haniyeh, a student leader at Bir Zeit University and a leading political prisoner solidarity activist abducted just before student elections and currently held under interrogation.
We demand the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. They have been targeted by an unfair and unequal legal system. Their imprisonment reflects Israel’s inherent system of injustice and racism. In addition, Israel must immediately halt its practices of:

• Administrative detention.
• Torture and ill-treatment of detainees.
• Solitary confinement and isolation.
• The use of military courts in the occupied Palestinian territory that illegally try civilians.
• Undermining a fair trial by using secret evidence against the accused.
• Arresting vulnerable groups, such as children, disabled, elderly and ill people.

TAKE ACTION! 
1. Organize or attend an Event or Action marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day! See below for events taking place around the world. No listed event in your city? Tell us about your local event here! 
2. Write to the International Committee of the Red Cross to demand it fulfil its responsibilities to protect the rights of Palestinian political prisoners. Click here to email!
3. Learn more about the Karameh Hunger Strike launching April 17 and inform others that over 1600 Palestinian prisoners will launch a hunger strike on Tuesday.
4. Download, use and distribute the handouts and factsheets for Palestinian Prisoners’ Day! These factsheets are made for use in your community:

• Download General Palestinian Prisoners’ Day Factsheet (PDF)
• Download Palestinian Prisoners’ Day Call to Action and Karameh Strike Handout (PDF)

5. Watch and display the video testimony of former Palestinian prisoner, Dr. Abdul-Aziz Omar. This video is available in three lengths – 6 minutes, 15 minutes, and 40 minutes. Stream the videos here!

Palestinian Prisoners’ Day Events (Submit Your Event Here)
Toronto: Palestinian Prisoners’ Day – Perspectives on the current struggle
Tuesday, April 17
7:00 PM
Beit Zatoun, 612 Markham St., Toronto, ON
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/352427434794172/
April 17th is International Palestinian Prisoners Day. As of 1 March 2012, there were 4,637 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, including 183 children. Just like Hana Shalabi and Khader Adnan, 320 prisoners are held–without charge or trial–under administrative detention. More details…
Speakers:
Ameena Sultan, Shaira Vadasaria, Issam Al Yamani
Vancouver: Rally and Speak-Out for Freedom for Palestinian Prisoners
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
CBC Building, 700 Hamilton St (Hamilton and Georgia), Vancouver
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/134719799989932/
Nearly 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners are held in jails in Israel, including 170 children and 6 women. 310 prisoners are held – without charge or trial – under administrative detention. Palestinian prisoners include over 20 lawmakers and national leaders, like Ahmad Sa’adat, Marwan Barghouthi and Aziz Dweik.
On April 17, 2012, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, people around the world will respond to the call to take action for Palestinian political prisoners.  In Vancouver, Join us on April 17 to support Palestinian prisoners, demand their freedom, and call for justice. More details…
Chicago: Hungry for Justice – Fast in Solidarity with Palestinian Political Prisoners

Join CMPR for a community dinner and discussion with prisoner rights activist Bekah Wolf

Tuesday, April 17, 7:00pm
CAIR-Chicago Gallery
28 E. Jackson Blvd, Suite 1700
Chicago, IL 60604
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/301360836599124/

**Free and open to the public, but space at the venue is limited. To ensure a seat, please RSVP to chicagompr@gmail.com as soon as possible.**
Since 1974, April 17 has been commemorated annually as Palestinian Prisoners’ Day. Currently there are more than 4500 Palestinians in Israeli prisons and detention centers; nearly 200 of these prisoners are children. Just like Hana Shalabi and Khader Adnan, 320 prisoners are held – without charge or trial – under administrative detention.  Here in Chicago, the Chicago Movement for Palestinian Rights (CMPR) is calling on people of conscience to fast from sunrise to sunset on April 17 in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners. According to latest reports from prisoner rights group Addameer, 8 prisoners are currently on hunger strike. More details…
Speaker: Bekah Wolf
Glasgow: March for the Karameh Hunger Strikers, March for Palestine
Tuesday, April 17 – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
George Square, Glasgow
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/353500491364265/
On Palestinian prisoners day, Tuesday 17th of April, the Palestinian prisoners movement will launch the Karamah (Dignity) hunger strike. The magnitude of the 1600 Palestinian prisoners embarking on the Karamah hunger strike must be met with a significant international response. This means mass mobilisations to question the impunity of the Israeli state and our own governments involvement. As the resistance of the prisoners escalates, our actions in turn must escalate. This demo is called for by ‘We Are All Hana Shalabi’. More details..
Brussels: Protest for Palestinian Prisoners

• Manifestatie in Brussel
  dinsdag 17 april 2012
  12u00-14u00
  Europese Commissie te Brussel (Schuman-Rotonde)

en een

• Solidariteitsavond
  18 tot 22 uur
  film (25 min.): “Libres dans la prison de Gaza”
  Chris Den Hond en Mireille Court (2012)

More details…

Den Haag: Picket at Israeli Embassy

http://www.palestina-komitee.nl/agenda/693
The Hague, picket line at Israeli embassy, address: Buitenhof
Time: 12.30 – 13.30h
In Den Haag bij een picket van 12.30 – 13.30 uur bij de Israelische ambassade (Buitenhof).

Bradford: Day of Action and Education

Bradford United 4 Palestine will be in Student Central at the University of Bradford, in Bradford City, UK, all day, Tuesday, April 17, with information about Palestinian Prisoners’ Day and the struggle of Palestinian prisoners.

Pisa: International Solidarity On the Day of the Palestinian Prisoner
Tuesday, April 17
7:00 pm
Via S. Lorenzo 38
Pisa, Italy
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/412627942097315/
The Initiative of International Solidarity for the Palestinian Prisoners will feature a talk by Shoukri Hroub of the Arab Palestinian Democratic Union (UDAP), as well as a brief overview of the intervention of the Mossad in some Latin American countries, including Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia and Guatemala.
This event is sponsored by UDAP-Tuscany, Collective April 25, BRISOP, and Cobas Confederation Pisa. More details…
Athens: Picket in Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners
There is a protest April 17, 2012 at the Israeli Embassy in Athens, Greece at 6:30 in solidarity with the Karama Hunger Strike and the Palestinian prisoners.
Dublin: Lunchtime Picket with Palestinian Prisoners
To mark Palestinian Prisoners’ Day 2012, on Tuesday 17th April from 1-2pm the IPSC will be holding a symbolic lunchtime demonstration outside EU House, Molesworth Street (Dublin 2) to highlight the European Union’s ongoing facilitation of Israel’s apartheid policies and war crimes – including the imprisonment of over 4,400 political prisoners.
Following the demo, activists will move to Grafton Street and conduct an information stall between 2.30 and 5.30pm, distributing information about Palestinian political prisoners. More details…
Sydney: International Day of Action for Palestinian Prisoners
Tuesday, April 17
6 pm – 8 pm
Sydney town Hall
Sydney, Australia
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/275990525816065/

Students for Justice in Palestine invites you to a rally from 6pm to 8pm onTuesday, April 17, on Palestine Prisoners’ Day. Meet outside Sydney Town Hall. Our lips will be silenced with tape, symbolising the purpose of ‘administrative detention’, which is to silence Palestinian resistance against Israeli apartheid. More details…

Montreal: Sumoud – An Evening of Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners

Thursday, April 19
6:30pm until 9:30pm
Concordia University Hall Building, Room H-110
1455 de Maisonneuve West Metro Guy-Concordia
Montreal, Quebec
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/273290676089860/?ref=ts
Please join us for a panel discussion and screening to highlight prisoner struggles, affirm our support and stand in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners. Featuring speakers: Issam Al-Yamani, Serin Atiani, and a screening of a video produced by Addameer, featuring an interview with Suha Barghouti, wife of Palestinian writer, scholar and political prisoner Ahmed Qatamesh. More details…

Action: Write to the ICRC!

Write to the International Committee of the Red Cross to demand they take action for Palestinian prisoners

Send an email to the International Committee of the Red Cross, urging the committee to take action for Palestinian prisoners and fulfil its responsibilities to Palestinian prisoners held in occupation jails.

ENTER SAMIDOUN WEBSITE TO SEND A LETTER

Action Alert: Stop Israel's Abuse of Palestinian Children

Action Alert: Stop Israel's Abuse of Palestinian Children September 2, 2010 According to the Palestine Section of Defense for Children International, each year, about 700 Palestinian children from the West Bank are prosecuted in Israeli military courts. Out of 100 sworn affidavits collected by lawyers in 2009, 69% of the children were beaten and kicked, 49% were threatened, 14% were held in solitary confinement, 12% were threatened with sexual assault, including rape, and 32% were forced to sign confessions written in Hebrew, a language they do not understand. Israel's treatment of detained Palestinian children is considered to be torture by the United Nations under international law. Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition calls on all its members, supporters and people of conscience to contact the White House to demand that the Obama administration direct the Israeli leadership, currently in Washington DC, to immediately release and end to the systematic and institutionalized abuse of all Palestinian children in Israeli prisons in accordance with international law. The US government, which supports Israel to the tune of billions of taxpayer dollars a year while most ordinary Americans are suffering in a very bad economy, is bound by its laws to cut off all aid to Israel until it ends all of its violations of human rights and basic freedoms in a verifiable manner. To contact the White House, please use the online form at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/   Alternatively write to: President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500   Phone : 202-456-1414 Fax: 202-456-2461   Letters in the US may be faxed online via: http://www.tpc.int/sendfax.html   To contact your Representatives and Senators, go to: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt?command=congdir House members can be reached through the Capitol switchboard toll free at: 1-877-331-2000   Please cc your correspondence to alerts@al-awda.org Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition PO Box 131352 Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA Tel: 760-918-9441 Fax: 760-918-9442 E-mail: info@al-awda.org WWW: http://www.al-awda.org Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to education and advocacy for the restoration of Palestinian human, national, legal, political and historical rights in full with particular emphasis on the right of Palestinians to return to their homes and lands of origin from which they have been dispossessed since 1948. PRRC is a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are tax-deductible. To donate, go to http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and follow the instructions. To become a member, go to http://www.al-awda.org/membership.html

Action Alert: Free Wa'el Al-Faqeeh

On the night of December 9th ,2009, over 200 Israeli soldiers entered
the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Their mission: to round up
local grassroots activists, whose promotion of popular struggle Israel
had no answer for. Amongst those taken was 45 year old Wa’el Al-
Faqeeh. Fifty soldiers stormed his home, pointing their weapons at him
and his family as though the man they had come to arrest embodied a
formidable threat. But those who know Al Faqeeh know that he worked
tirelessly – and on a largely voluntary basis – in defense of human
rights and the promotion of the strategies and philosophy of
Palestinian non-violent resistance.

Political prisoner Wa’el Al-Faqeeh has been detained without charge by
Israeli authorities for over a month, and is now facing trial in a
military court scheduled to begin on the 19th of January. The
abduction of Al-Faqeeh from his home, along with 4 other activists in
the Nablus region, marked the beginning of the recent surge in
Israel’s targeting of leaders of Palestinian popular resistance.

On the night of December 9th ,2009, over 200 Israeli soldiers entered
the northern West Bank city of Nablus. Their mission: to round up
local grassroots activists, whose promotion of popular struggle Israel
had no answer for. Amongst those taken was 45 year old Wa’el Al-
Faqeeh. Fifty soldiers stormed his home, pointing their weapons at him
and his family as though the man they had come to arrest embodied a
formidable threat. But those who know Al Faqeeh know that he worked
tirelessly – and on a largely voluntary basis – in defense of human
rights and the promotion of the strategies and philosophy of
Palestinian non-violent resistance.

Deprived of his liberty and his voice, we ask you to join us in
exercising our freedom of speech where he can not. Help us take
effective and public action to end his arrest by writing a letter to
your representative and demand they take action for his release.

   * To write write to the American Consul General in Jerusalem, see
http://www.popularstruggle.org/content/send-letter-consul-daniel-rubinstein.

   * To write to the High Representative of the European Union for
Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, see
http://www.popularstruggle.org/content/send-letter-baroness-catherine-ashton.

Palestinian activist Jamal Juma’ freed

Amnesty International

The activists were detained following their protests against the fence/wall

© Amnesty International

The International Court of Justice said in 2004 that the fence/wall should be dismantled

© Neta E. / Machsom Watch

Jamal Juma' is co-ordinator of the 'Stop the Wall' campaign

© Martina Waiblinger

13 January 2010

Amnesty International has welcomed the release of Palestinian human rights activist Jamal Juma’, who was detained by the Israeli military late last year.

Jamal Juma’ was arrested in December 2009, joining fellow activists Abdallah Abu Rahma and Mohammed Othman in detention, following a series of protests against the construction of the fence/wall in the West Bank.

Amnesty International last week called for the three men to be released unless they were brought before a fair trial. Jamal Juma’ was released on Tuesday evening but Abdallah Abu Rahma and Mohammed Othman remain in detention.

“Without international pressure I would not be out today,” Jamal Juma’ told Amnesty International on Wednesday.

“You can tell that there is pressure from abroad from how the guards behave with you inside. Yesterday I was released without charge and I thank everybody for their efforts and support.

“However, many others are still in detention and there are more arrests of activists every day. The authorities must stop this harassment.”

Jamal Juma’, Abdallah Abu Rahma and Mohammed Othman have been campaigning against the fence/wall for years by raising awareness about its negative impact on Palestinians, organizing grassroots opposition and peacefully demonstrating against its construction.

The three have repeatedly expressed their commitment to the principle of non-violence and Amnesty International is unaware of any credible evidence that they have used or advocated violence.

Amnesty International is concerned that Abdallah Abu Rahma and Mohammed Othman are being detained solely on account of legitimately exercising their right to freedom of expression in opposing the Israeli fence/wall.

If this is the case, they are prisoners of conscience and should be released immediately and unconditionally. Otherwise they should be brought to trial on recognizable criminal charges and in full conformity with international fair trial standards.


                                      Call on Israel to release the two remaining activists 

Israel must stop harassment and detention of Palestianian activists

Amnesty International


8 January 2010

Call On Israel to release detained activists

Three prominent campaigners for the dismantlement of the fence/wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) are currently held by the Israeli military.

Their arrests last year and continuing detention indicate a growing crackdown on the legitimate expression of opposition to the construction of the fence/wall through the occupied West Bank.

Jamal Juma’, Abdallah Abu Rahma and Mohammed Othman are human rights activists who have been campaigning for years against the fence/wall by raising awareness about its negative impact on Palestinians, organizing grassroots opposition to it and peacefully demonstrating against it.

Amnesty International said it is concerned that they have been detained solely on account of legitimately exercising their right to freedom of expression in opposing the Israeli fence/wall.

The detainees have repeatedly expressed their commitment to the principle of non-violence and Amnesty International is unaware of any credible evidence that they have used or advocated violence.

If this is the case, Amnesty International considers the detainees to be prisoners of conscience and calls for their immediate and unconditional release. Otherwise they should be brought to trial on recognizable criminal charges and in full conformity with international fair trial standards.

In June 2004 the International Court of Justice issued a unanimous advisory opinion which stated that the construction of the wall in the OPT is contrary to international law and that Israel was obliged to dismantled sections already built there and provide reparation to Palestinians affected by the construction. The Israeli government rejected these recommendations.

Furthermore, when Palestinians, together with Israeli and international supporters, have demonstrated against the fence/wall, Israeli forces have often used excessive force against them.  Some demonstrations are conducted peacefully; in others, some protestors throw stones at the Israeli military or attempt to damage the fence/wall.

In the last 18 months, Israeli forces have killed six people, including a ten-year old boy, at the sites of such demonstrations and injured scores more, some very seriously. In no case have the Israeli authorities subsequently produced credible evidence that those killed posed a threat to the lives of the soldiers involved.

Many Palestinian participants in demonstrations are arrested and held briefly before being released, but a few are convicted or held in administrative detention and therefore without charge.

In September 2009, an Israeli activist, Kobi Snitz, was convicted of being present in a “closed military zone”, which the army had declared around the site of a demonstration, and, in a rare occurrence for a Jewish Israeli citizen, served a prison sentence, in this case of 20 days.

Jamal Juma’, the co-ordinator of the “Stop the Wall” campaign, has been detained without charge or trial by the Israeli authorities since his arrest on 16 December 2009. Jamal Juma’ possesses a valid Jerusalem identity card and, according to Israeli law, his case should fall under the jurisdiction of the civil legal system. To date, however, the Israeli authorities have dealt with him under the military court system, so enabling him to be detained without charge or trial for interrogation for up to 90 days.

Abdallah Abu Rahma, head of the “Popular Committee Against the Wall” in the village of Bil’in, was arrested on 10 December 2009. He has subsequently been charged with three offences: incitement, stone-throwing, and possession of arms. Amnesty International understands that the last charge relates solely to his involvement in the collection of used M16 bullets and empty sound and gas grenades employed by Israeli forces to disperse demonstrators against the fence/wall and their exhibition in Bil’in museum.

Mohammed Othman, a volunteer with the “Stop the Wall” campaign, has been continuously detained without charge or trial since he was arrested by the Israeli authorities on 22 September 2009 when he returned from Norway, where he had met activist groups campaigning against the fence/wall. Amnesty International understands that he is currently held under an administrative detention order which is due to expire on 22 January 2010, but could be renewed indefinitely.
  Please write to the Military Advocate General at the Israeli Defense Forces, Brigadier General Avihai Mendelblit, to ask for the immediate release of the detainees unless they are brought to trial promptly on recognizable criminal offences and in full conformity with international standards for fair trial.
 
Picture copyright: Neta E. / Machsom Watch

Israeli detention of Palestinian activists must end

Amnesty International

The activists were detained following their protests against the fence/wall

© Amnesty International

The International Court of Justice said in 2004 that the fence/wall should be dismantled

© Neta E. / Machsom Watch

8 January 2010

The Israeli authorities must immediately release, or bring before a fair trial, three Palestinian human rights activists detained in Israel following their protests against the construction of the West Bank fence/wall, Amnesty International said on Friday.

In a letter sent to Ehud Barak, Israeli Defence and Deputy Prime Minister on Thursday, Amnesty International expressed concern that Jamal Juma', Abdallah Abu Rahma and Mohammed Othman were prisoners of conscience, held for legitimately voicing their opposition to the fence/wall.

"These men have all been involved in campaigning against the building of this construction, much of it on the land of the occupied West Bank, and we fear that this is the real reason for their imprisonment," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme. "If this is the case they must be released immediately and unconditionally."

Jamal Juma' is the co-ordinator of the "Stop the Wall" campaign and a prominent human rights activist. He was arrested by the Israeli authorities on 16 December 2009. He has not been formally charged with any offence since his detention and information relating to his arrest has not been shared with his lawyer.

A military court in Israel on Thursday extended Jamal Juma's detention for another six days.

Jamal Juma' is being held under military law, which allows him to be tried without charge or trial for interrogation for up to 90 days. As someone who holds a Jerusalem ID card, according to Israeli law his case should be handled under the country's civil, not military, legal system. Since his arrest he has only been permitted limited access to his lawyer.

Abdallah Abu Rahma, head of the "Popular Committee Against the Wall" in the village of Bil'in, was arrested on 10 December 2009. He has been charged with three offences: incitement, stone-throwing, and possession of arms.

Amnesty International said it understands the possession of arms charge relates to Abdallah Abu Rahma collecting used M16 bullets, and empty sound and gas grenades, employed by Israeli forces to disperse demonstrators against the wall, and exhibiting them in Bil'in museum to raise awareness of Israeli practices against protestors.

Mohammed Othman, a volunteer with the "Stop the Wall" campaign, has been detained continuously since 22 September 2009. He was arrested on his return from Norway, after meeting activist groups there campaigning against the fence/wall and is being held without charge or trial in Israeli administrative detention.

The International Court of Justice ruled in an advisory opinion in 2004 that the construction of the fence/wall on the territory of the occupied West Bank is contrary to international law and should be dismantled. Israel has ignored the ruling.

"These three men are all well known for their defence of the human rights of Palestinians. In the unlikely event that there are genuine grounds to prosecute these men, they should be charged with recognizable criminal offences and brought promptly to trial in full conformity with international fair trial standards," said Malcolm Smart.

                                      Call on Israel to release the three Palestinian activists 

Administrative detention case submitted to the UN

[Ramallah, 16 July 2009] – On 16 July 2009, DCI-Palestine filed a submission with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Wa’ad al-Hidmy (UA 5/09), seeking the adoption of an Opinion by the UN body that Wa’ad’s administrative detention constitutes an arbitrary detention in contravention of international law. Wa’ad was arrested by Israeli soldiers from his home near the West Bank city of Hebron at 3am on 28 April 2008. Wa’ad has been held without charge or trial ever since and received a fifth administrative detention order on 21 June 2009. Wa’ad was 16 years old when he was first arrested. Administrative detention Administrative detention is detention without charge or trial and is often based on ‘secret evidence’. Israeli Military Order 1591 empowers military commanders to detain Palestinians, including children as young as 12, for up to six months if they have ‘reasonable grounds to presume that the security of the area or public security require the detention’. The initial six month period can be extended by additional six-month periods indefinitely. This procedure denies the detainee the right to a fair trial and the ability to adequately challenge the basis of his or her detention. There are currently around 428 Palestinian men, women and children in administrative detention. For more information visit the DCI-Palestine website at Freedom Now. To take action, please follow this link and write to your elected representatives and/or the Israeli authorities demanding an end to the practice of detaining children without charge or trial in administrative detention.

URGENT APPEAL: Wa'ad al-Hidmy

UA - 5/09 – URGENT APPEAL – DCI-Palestine Name Wa’ad Arafat Mustafa al-Hidmy Age at arrest 16 Occupation Student Place of residence Surif, Hebron, Hebron, OPT Date of arrest 28 April 2008 Charge No charge Place of detention Ofer Prison UPDATE: July 2009 21 September 2009 Possible release date 21 June 2009 Fifth administrative detention order (3 months) 26 March 2009 Fourth administrative detention order (3 months) 26 November 2008 Third administrative detention order (4 months) 27 August 2008 Second administrative detention order (3 months) 6 May 2008 First administrative detention order (4 months) 28 April 2008 Date of arrest Background information Wa’ad was arrested from the family home in the village of Surif, near Hebron in the West Bank, at 3:00am on 28 April 2008. He was asleep at the time and woke to the sound of Israeli soldiers banging on the front door. The soldiers entered the house and after identifying Wa’ad, tied his hands behind his back with plastic cords and took him out of the house to a waiting jeep where he was blindfolded. Wa’ad was placed on the floor of the jeep and told to ‘shut-up’. During the drive to the settlement of Karmi Zur, soldiers in the back of the jeep placed their legs on Wa’ad’s body. On arrival at the settlement Wa’ad was asked some questions about his health before being transferred to Etzion Interrogation and Detention Centre, near Bethlehem. In an affidavit given to lawyers for DCI-Palestine in June 2009, Wa’ad recalls that: ‘I did not know why they were arresting me. I started to wonder whether I had done something wrong without knowing.’ Two days later, Wa’ad was transferred to Ofer Prison, near Ramallah, where he was interrogated by a policeman in blue uniform. During the interrogation the policeman told Wa’ad that he had been informed by a third person that Wa’ad had participated in a demonstration organised by Islamic Jihad, an organisation banned by the Israeli authorities. Wa’ad could not recall there being any demonstrations organised by Islamic Jihad where he lived during the previous year and that in any event, he had not participated in any of their demonstrations. Wa’ad recalls that the interrogation only lasted around five minutes. Several days later a prison officer handed Wa’ad a document written in Hebrew and informed him that it was an administrative detention order for six months. Wa’ad recalls feeling depressed because ‘I was expecting to be released because I had not confessed to anything and I had not done anything.’ Two days later Wa’ad’s order was reviewed by the Administrative Detention Court and reduced to four months. Months passed, and in August, three days before the expiry of the first order, a prison officer again handed Wa’ad a document written in Hebrew and informed him that he had been given a second administrative detention order for four months – ‘I became anxious, but felt helpless. I was expecting to be released after the expiry of the first order but this new order surprised me.’ Several days later the Court reviewed the second order and reduced it to three months. Wa’ad recalls becoming nervous in the week before the expiry of the second order – ‘I was afraid that the order would be renewed again.’ Two days before the expiry date, Wa’ad was issued with a third administrative detention order for four months, which was confirmed by the Court. ‘I feel a great injustice because of this detention that, according to what I understood from the lawyer and judge, is based on confidential material. I do not know the real reason behind my detention because I cannot remember doing anything that would put the security of the state at risk.’ In March 2009, a few days before the expiry of his third order, Wa’ad was issued with a fourth administrative detention order, for four months, which was later reduced to three months by the Court – ‘I did not know what to do in such a situation. I became unstable and unsure when I would be released. Such a situation is driving me crazy.’ On 14 June 2009, nearly 14 months after his arrest, Wa’ad was visited for the first time by his parents. Up until this time, they had been denied a permit on unspecified security grounds, and only his younger siblings had been allowed to visit him. During the 40 minute visit, Wa’ad recalls telling his parents that he was ‘certain’ to be released on 25 June. However, on 21 June 2009, Wa’ad was issued with a fifth administrative detention order for three months – ‘now I am extremely depressed and do not know what to do.’ Wa’ad was imprisoned once before in September 2005 for throwing stones and Molotov cocktails and has a 20 year-old brother who is also being held in administrative detention in the Negev, inside Israel. Wa’ad will lodge an appeal against the issue of his fifth administrative detention order. Administrative detention Administrative detention is detention without charge or trial and is often based on “secret evidence.” Israeli Military Order 1591 empowers military commanders to detain Palestinians, including children as young as 12, for up to six months if they have “reasonable grounds to presume that the security of the area or public security require the detention.” The initial six month period can be extended by additional six-month periods indefinitely. This procedure denies the detainee the right to a fair trial and the ability to adequately challenge the basis of his or her detention. There are currently at least 449 Palestinians being held by Israel without charge or trial in administrative detention, of which six were under 18 when they received their order. For more information visit the DCI-Palestine website at Freedom Now. Recommended action The detention of a child in these circumstances does not conform to Israel’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child or the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Please send Urgent Appeals to the Israeli authorities urging them to: Immediately cease the practice of holding persons under the age of 18 in administrative detention; and Immediately and unconditionally release Wa’ad from administrative detention, or charge him with a recognisable criminal offence and promptly try him in a proper court of law with internationally accepted standards for a fair trial. Any further action should take into consideration the fact that Wa’ad has now been detained without charge since April 2008. Appeals to: Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, 3 Kaplan Street, PO Box 187, Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem, 91919, Israel, Fax: +972- 2-651 2631, Email: rohm@pmo.gov.il, pm_eng@pmo.gov.il Salutation: Dear Prime Minister Ehud Barak Minister of Defence, Ministry of Defence, 37 Kaplan Street, Hakirya, Tel Aviv 61909, Israel Fax: +972 3 691 6940 Email: minister@mod.gov.il Salutation: Dear Minister Minister of Justice, Fax: + 972 2 628 7757; + 972 2 628 8618 Attorney General, Fax: + 972 2 627 4481; + 972 2 628 5438; +972 2 530 3367 *** Please inform DCI-Palestine if you receive any response to your appeals and quote the UA number at the top of this document – ria@dci-pal.org

Children's administrative detention update

DCI-Palestine
9 June 2009

[Ramallah, 9 June 2009] – Three administrative detention cases being followed by DCI-Palestine have recently undergone review by Israeli authorities. Mohammad Balbol - UA-1/08 Mohammad Balbol’s second administrative detention order was originally set for review on 24 May 2009, however, this date was brought forward by order of the Administrative Detention Court to 23 March 2009. On 23 March 2009, Mohammad was issued with a third administrative detention order for another four months. Mohammad has now been held without charge or trial since 25 July 2008. His latest order will be reviewed again on 22 July 2009. Mohammad Baran - UA-3/09 On 27 May 2009, an Israeli military commander issued Mohammad Baran with a fourth administrative detention order for a further three months. This decision was confirmed by the Administrative Detention Court on 31 May 2009. Mohammad has now been held without charge or trial since 1 March 2008. His latest administrative detention order will be reviewed again on 26 August 2008. Ahmed Mijermi - UA-2/09 According to the latest reports, Ahmed Mijermi’s fifth administrative detention order has not been renewed, but he has not been released. DCI-Palestine is making further inquiries to ascertain the whereabouts and status of Ahmed who has now been in detention since 9 December 2007. Administrative detention Administrative detention is detention without charge or trial and is often based on 'secret evidence'. Israeli Military Order 1591 empowers military commanders to detain Palestinians, including children as young as 12, for up to six months if they have 'reasonable grounds to presume that the security of the area or public security require the detention'. The initial six month period can be extended by additional six-month periods indefinitely. This procedure denies the detainee the right to a fair trial and the ability to adequately challenge the basis of his or her detention. There are currently around 449 Palestinians in administrative detention of which seven were children when they received their orders. For more information visit the DCI-Palestine website at Freedom Now. To take action, click on the UA number beside each boy's name.

Don't jail Ezra Nawi

His name is Ezra Nawi

Join Naomi Klein, Neve Gordon, Noam Chomsky and thousands of others and tell Israel not to jail Ezra Nawi, one of Israel’s most courageous human rights activists.

His crime? He tried to stop a military bulldozer from destroying the homes of Palestinian Bedouins in the South Hebron region.

Nawi, a Jewish Israeli of Iraqi descent, is a threat to the settlers and the Israeli government because he has brought international attention to efforts to illegally remove Palestinians from the Hebron region. He will be sentenced in July.

(Watch the remarkable video of Nawi trying to stop the home demolition and his subsequent arrest.)

SEND A MESSAGE OF SUPPORT NOW!

Samieh Jabbarin - "Haaretz" weekend supplement‏

Dear friends,
The solidarity struggle with Palestinian theatre-artist and activist Samieh Jabbarin, who is still under house-arrest in Um Al Fahm, has gained significant resonance in the past two weeks thanks to the publication of journalist Aviva Lori's extensive coverage of the affair in "Haaretz" weekend supplement in Hebrew (22.5.09) and English (28.5.09). Links to both versions follow:
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1087171.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1088706.html

Unfortunately, nothing has moved in court. On June 7th the court in Hadera is to review Samieh's appeal for lifting the limiting conditions of his house-arrest – four (!) months of being denied his personal liberty after being arrested at a political demonstration. Due to the said limiting conditions, Samieh could not even attend the Tel Aviv University scholarship and award-granting ceremony of the Faculty of Fine Arts held a few days ago, where he was mentioned with outstanding honors by the dean and received a scholarship (see appendix).
Please consider: further damaging Samieh, the police – along with the State Attorney's Office – has accused him of so-called violent action. It is no coincidence that these very days a steep exacerbation is anticipated for the future freedom of expression and political association in the State of Israel. Rapid legislation in the Knesset (parliament) of a whole battery of anti-democratic laws has been of major concern. Among others: a proposed law curbs 'any aspiration to change the character of the State or to publish anything that might cause disrespect of the regime" (!); the "Nakba law" prohibits the commemoration of Palestinian suffering caused by the foundation of the State of Israel; the "loyalty law" will require every Israeli citizen - Arabs included – to sign a declaration of loyalty to the state as a "Jewish and Zionist state"; a law to create a fingerprint database of all Israeli citizens; a law forbidding demonstrations in front of residences of public officials, etc.
These are laws that, once legislated, will enable the state to act harshly against all of us in the future, Arabs and Jews alike. No more figments of imagination will be needed about 'violent action' in order to arrest, prosecute and punish innocent citizens.

We thank you for your support of Samieh Jabbarin, for joining the struggle against political detention in Israel, and for sharing the struggle against the new evil winds now blowing in this country.

Our online petition is ongoing. We would appreciate your signatures if you have not yet signed it, and thank you for distributing it among your friends, for this is our most efficient way to keep you in the picture and update you about further actions for Samieh in the near future.

Here is the link to our petition:
http://www.atzuma.co.il/petition/friendsofsamieh/1/1000/
Thanking you in advance,
The Committee for Solidarity with Samieh Jabbarin
May 2009

On line protest for the detention of Samieh Jabbarin

Detention of Samieh Jabbarin

Here is an appropriate mode to celebrate the "Feast of Liberty" as Passover is sometimes called.

http://www.atzuma.co.il/petition/friendsofsamieh/1/

The petition speaks for itself. For your info Samieh's case is not at all unique as there are a few hundreds Israeli citizens in similar conditions for different periods of unjustifyed detentions.

Non-Hebrew speakers are welcome to sign, they might have difficulties identifying the fields so please note:

The first 3 fields are obligatory and marked with red asterix.

First field: name of signatory

Second field: place of residence

Third field: email (not displayed but available to the organizers of the petition).

The 4^th and 5^th fileds are for tel. numbers but are not obligatory and also not helpful outside Israel. Last field allows a short comment (up to 600 signs). Under the number 600 there is a diagonal red square – clicking it sends the signed petition out.

DETENTION AS A MEANS TO POLITICAL SILENCING:
THE CASE OF THEATER ARTIST SAMIEH JABBARIN

The house-arrest for an indefinite period of time of Jaffa-based theater artist Samieh Jabbarin signals a sharp escalation in the harassment of citizens engaged democratically and legally in expressing their political views.
The case of Samieh Jabbarin exposes the close cooperation of the Israeli Security Services, police and Attorney General's office. A crass attempt is being made to incriminate a peace-seeking social-political activist by fabricating charges of violence. Unfortunately, the courts of justice have not yet put a halt to this mode of action.

The facts:
Samieh Jabbarin, 41-years old, a citizen of Israel native of Um al Fahm, is a theater and film director. He was professionally and academically trained in Germany and is currently completing his Masters degree at the Theater Arts Department of Tel Aviv University. Upon his return to his native country, he settled in Jaffa and, among other things, engaged in the struggle against the current wave of attempts to evict Arab-Palestinian residents. Samieh is also active in the Abna al Balad movement and was among the organizers of last year's Haifa conference on the Right of Return and a secular democratic state. Last December he helped organize public mourning rallies and non-violent protests against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

In January 2009, Samieh was warned by the Security Services that a way will be found to punish him for this civil and political activity. The opportunity presented itself on February 10th, general election day in Israel. A group of extreme rightist fanatics announced their intention to serve as official monitors of the voting process in Um al Fahm, second largest Arab city in Israel. Samieh, a native of this town, joined residents in a protest demonstration. He was arrested along with a fellow-resident minutes after the event began. On the very next day - in unprecedented haste - detailed charges were presented at the Hadera court against him for supposedly assaulting the Chief of the Northern Border Patrol, Commander Uri Mor-Yossef.

All attempts to disprove and deny such outright deception have been in vain. The open 'secret' is that Israeli police video-document all demonstrations and arrests.
In this case, however, no evidence was produced beyond the police officer's own statement.

Samieh was held prisoner in Kishon Prison under harsh conditions for seventeen days, and following a legal struggle, was transferred to strict house-arrest at his parents' home in Um al Fahm. Two family members must be with him at all times, and an electronic shackle is attached to his ankle.
Officially, this ruling is in force "until the end of the legal proceedings". These proceedings, however, have come to a strange near-halt: in sharp contrast to the speed with which it charged him, the system is in no hurry to expose the prosecution's evidence at an open trial. The prosecution "forgot" to summon Samieh and his attorneys to the indictment last month. Consequently, another indictment has been set for April 27th and who knows how many months will elapse until the trial itself.


Thus, Samieh Jabbarin is denied access to his creative work, his studies, and his normal living environment. His fate also serves as a blatant warning to intimidate other social and political activists.

We appeal to all who are personally committed to fundamental democratic values to raise their voice and demand an immediate end to this deplorable affair. We must expose the questionable method of false accusations and frame-ups in attempting to silence political resisters. This appeal is directed at
� Stage, television and film artists both in Israel and abroad;
� Journalists of the printed and electronic media
� Persons visibly active in education and culture
� Lawyers and other members of the justice community
� Social and human-rights activists everywhere
� Citizens who still care about democracy - wherever they are -

we are all called upon to act for the freedom of speech, the freedom of congregation and the freedom of non-violent political activity of Samieh Jabbarin as well as all other citizens of Israel - Jews and Arabs alike.

IT IS INCONCEIVABLE THAT CRITICAL THINKING AND NON-VIOLENT RESISTENCE BE PUNISHED BY INCRIMINATION OF VIOLENCE, ARREST AND MASSIVE SILENCING!

friendsofsamieh@gmail.com