Free hunger strikers now!
Urgent – Photo of Hisham Abu Hawash at 133 days of hunger strike as of December 27th 2021.
Hisham Abu Hawash is the last prisoner on hunger strike of the group that began in the summer of 2021. On December 26th he was transferred to an Israeli hospital after a severe deterioration in his health. He has severe mineral deficiencies and is no longer able to talk or move unassisted.
PLEASE SIGN & SHARE this petition to help free all hunger strikers & other administrative detainees, all imprisoned without charged or trial.
Palestinian prisoners stage hunger strikes in protest of their administrative detention – imprisonment without charges or a trial. Prisoners staging hunger strikes are at risk of serious long-term health affects, as well as sudden death due to dehydration and lack of essential nutrients. Why would they risk their health this way? The answer is clear – according to B’tselem in Israel, “the detainees have no real opportunity to mount a reasonable defense against the allegations” and have little recourse other that striking to gain their freedom under a policy the gives impunity to the Israeli occupation to imprison them indefinitely."
In Israeli occupation military prisons there are a total of 540+ Palestinians who are being held under the pretense of administrative detention. There are many who have been held for years without ever having the opportunity to prove their innocence or view the supposed evidence being used to justify their imprisonment.
These prisoners often:
- are denied access to their lawyers
- are denied access to regular family visits
- are placed in solitary confinement as punishment for hunger striking
We want to bring them all home!!
WHAT IS ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION? HOW IS IT USED BY ISRAEL?
Administrative detention is imprisonment without formal charge or trail, and in the case of how it is used by the Israeli occupation, often of a length of one to six months that is indefinitely renewable. Individuals imprisoned under Administrative Detention by the occupation, almost exclusively Palestinians, can spend years in prison without ever being formally charged, knowing why they were arrested, or ever seeing the supposed evidence being used to justify their imprisonment. Individual are arrested on the orders of the regional military commander and detained under the pretense of security based on supposed secret intelligence which neither the detainee nor their lawyers are allowed to review, verify, or refute to prove their innocence. (B'selem.org, Addameer.org)
According to B’tselem, “Israel also exploits this measure to detain Palestinians for their political opinions and for engaging in non-violent political activity.”
It is clear that Israel’s use of administrative detention does not align with International Humanitarian Law and is more often than not used to target and silence Palestinian activists, protestors or anyone who shows any dissent for the occupation, which is a gross misuse of such an extreme power. We must send a clear message to the Israeli Government that the use of this policy is unjust and not supported by the international community.
PETITION GOALS AND DEMANDS
By signing this petition, you are part of a worldwide movement to free all hunger strikers, release all administrative detainees and end the mis-use of administrative detention by the Israeli occupation.
We, the undersigned:
- Demand the immediate release of all Palestinian administrative detainees on hunger strike to avoid serious long-term health complications for detainees or loss of life: Kayed Fasfous, Miqdad Qawasmeh, Alaa Al Raj, Hisham Abu Hawash, Shadi Abu Aker and Ayyad Hraimi
- Demand the subsequent immediate release of all Palestinians administrative detainees held in occupation prisons, or at the very latest the date of their case review
- Demand that Israel ceases the use of administrative detention to arbitrarily imprison Palestinians within the oPt (West Bank) and East Jerusalem
- Demand that any future arrest of Palestinians (in the oPT or within Israel) follow the protocols of International Humanitarian Law that guarantee individuals know why they are being arrested and are granted proper judicial process (formal charges and trails) where individuals are able to examine the evidence presented against them and prove their innocence
PLEASE SIGN & SHARE the Petition
If you would like to read more about administrative detention under Israeli occupation, please go to: