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Press Release<br>
18 January 2005<br><br>
Student Prisoners in 'Administrative Detention' on Strike<br><br>
Over 800 Palestinian administrative detainees, held in Israeli
military<br>
detention centers, are on strike against the illegality of<br>
prolonged detentions without charge or trial.<br><br>
The strike against the Israeli Occupation's military legal system began
1<br>
month ago, on 19 December 2004. The striking prisoners are refusing
to take<br>
part in any military court proceedings, until the Israeli military<br>
authorities meet their demand that prisoners should be either charged
or<br>
released after the maximum 6 month period of 'administrative
detention'<br>
has expired.<br><br>
Even according to Israeli law, orders for administrative detention
-imprisonment without charge or trial - cannot be for more than a maximum
of 6 months. In reality, detention orders are repeatedly extended
so that many prisoners, including student and child prisoners, have been
held in administrative detention for years.<br><br>
Khader Raddad, a student of Civil Engineering at Birzeit University, has
been imprisoned without charge, trial, or access to any information
relating to his case for over two years. Khader is being held
in Keseot (Naqab) military detention center, where 782 out of the total
869 Palestinian prisoners in administrative detention are currently
held:<br><br>
18 have been held in administrative detention for over two-and-a-half
years<br>
100 have been held in administrative detention for over one-and-a-half
years<br>
148 have had their administrative detention orders extended more than
once<br>
15 are child prisoners (under 18 years old)<br><br>
There are currently 76 Birzeit University student prisoners, 11 of them
are<br>
being held without charge in administrative detention, and two-thirds
of<br>
them have not been to trial. The Right to Education Campaign at
Birzeit<br>
University condemns the use of administrative detention outright and
demands <br>
the release of Khader Raddad and other prisoners who have been arrested
and <br>
imprisoned in contravention of international law which explicitly states
that "no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or
detention".<br><br>
For more information on student prisoners and Birzeit University's Right
to<br>
Education Campaign
<a href="http://right2edu.birzeit.edu/" eudora="autourl">http://right2edu.birzeit.edu</a>,
please contact:<br><br>
Helen Murray, Campaign Coordinator, Right to Education Campaign<br>
Tel: +972 (0)59777 209, Email: right2edu@birzeit.edu<br><br>
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