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<h2 style="margin: 0pt; color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-size: 20px;"
class="post-title"><a
style="text-decoration: none ! important; color: rgb(37, 133, 178);"
href="http://samidoun.ca/2012/08/woroud-qasem-and-bilal-diab-released-today/">Woroud
Qasem and Bilal Diab released today</a></h2>
<br>
<span style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">by <a
href="http://samidoun.ca/?author=1"
style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136) ! important; text-decoration: underline;">samidoun</a><br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://samidoun.ca/2012/08/woroud-qasem-and-bilal-diab-released-today/">http://samidoun.ca/2012/08/woroud-qasem-and-bilal-diab-released-today/</a><br>
<br>
</span>
<p
style="margin: 0pt 0pt 1em; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">Palestinian
prisoners Woroud Qasem and Bilal Diab were released today from Israeli
occupation prisons.</p>
<p
style="margin: 0pt 0pt 1em; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">Woroud
Qasem,
from al-Tira in occupied Palestine '48 was released today,
August 9, 2012 after serving nearly six years in prison. She was
welcomed back to her village by hundreds of people who came to greet
her; she was one of a few women political prisoners who were not
released in the October 2011 prisoner exchange. She delivered a speech
upon her return, calling upon all institutions to highlight the
struggle and suffering of Palestinian political prisoners.</p>
<p
style="margin: 0pt 0pt 1em; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">Also
released today is former hunger striker <a
title="70 Days for Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh as their appeal is rejected – take action for 2500 prisoners on hunger strike!"
href="http://samidoun.ca/2012/05/70-days-for-bilal-diab-and-thaer-halahleh-as-their-appeal-is-rejected-take-action-for-2500-prisoners-on-hunger-strike/"
style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(37, 133, 178);">Bilal
Diab</a>,
whose 78-day hunger strike alongside fellow administrative detainee
Thaer Halahleh lasted throughout the April-May 2012 mass prisoner
hunger strike. Diab was also welcomed by hundreds who greeted him as a
hero, as he returned to his village Kufr al-Rai, outside Nablus. Among
others, his fellow former hunger strikers and heroes of the "battle of
the empty stomachs," Halahleh and Khader Adnan, were among the first to
greet him.</p>
<p
style="margin: 0pt 0pt 1em; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;">Long
term
hunger striker Hassan Safadi, who was in administrative detention
as well, and who Israel refused to release in June in violation of the
agreement ending the April-May 2012 hunger strike, remains on hunger
strike, demanding his release, alongside fellow prisoners Samer
al-Barq, Ayman Sharawna and Samer al-Issawi.</p>
<p
style="margin: 0pt 0pt 1em; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;"><a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/linah-alsaafin/bilal-diab-and-woroud-qasem-released-hunger-strikes-freedom-go"
style="text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(37, 133, 178);">Linah
Alsaafin interviewed his family for the Electronic Intifada</a>, as
well as covering the releases of Qasem and Diab.</p>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
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