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<h1>Mass Hunger-Strike Launched by Palestinian ‘Administrative
Detainees’</h1>
<span class="text">
<p><i>Occupied Ramallah, 24 April 2014 </i>– <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=674">http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=674</a><br>
</p>
<p>Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association can confirm
the launch of a mass open-ended hunger strike involving over 100
Palestinian political detainees. All those involved are being held
under administrative detention, which is a procedure whereby detainees
are held without charge or trial.</p>
<p>Today’s hunger strike can be traced back to May 2012 when an
agreement was reached between the Israeli Prison Service and
representatives of the prisoners, which brought an end to a mass hunger
strike involving approximately 2,000 political prisoners. As part of
this agreement Israel agreed to limit its use of administrative
detention to only exceptional circumstances. However, since then Israel
has reneged on the agreement and has continued to use administrative
detention on a systematic basis leaving the detainees with little
choice but to launch a fresh strike.</p>
<div>The strike is currently taking place in Ofer, Megiddo and the
Naqab Prisons and there are plans to escalate the strike should the
striking detainee’s demands not be met. The general demand of the
hunger strikers is an end to the use of administrative detention. The
hunger strikers are also specifically demanding that extensions to
administrative detention orders are limited to one extension only.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As of 1 March 2014 there were 183 Palestinians being held without
charge or trial under administrative detention, including 9 Palestinian
Legislative Council (PLC) members. This number has been steadily
increasing over the last year. In 2014 alone, Israel has used
administrative detention against 142 detainees, including renewing
existing orders and issuing new orders.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Addameer lawyer Samer Sama’an today visited a number of
administrative detainees, including PLC member Yasser Mansour, at the
Naqab Prison. It was confirmed that 55 administrative detainees being
held in the Naqab Prison have launched a hunger-strike. All striking
detainees were immediately isolated by the Israeli Prison Service from
the rest of the prison population and are currently being held in tents.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As mentioned administrative detainees are held without charge are
trial. They are detained on completely 'secret evidence’ and neither
they nor their lawyers have access to such evidence. Some detainees
have spent over eight years in prison, never knowing what was contained
in the 'secret evidence’. While administrative detention is legal under
international law, it must be used in very specific circumstance and on
a case-by-case basis. This is clearly not the case given Israel has
used administrative detention against tens of thousands of Palestinians.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In another development Mr. Sama’man reported that prisoners and
detainees being held at the Naqab Prison wishing to meet their lawyers
are forced to</div>
<div>wait for long periods of time in tiny cells which lack any sort of
ventilation. As a result many are choosing not to meet with their
lawyers due to the humiliating procedures that the Israeli Prison
Service has imposed on them.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Addameer holds the Israeli authorities solely responsible for the
health of all hunger strikers. Addameer also demands that all
contracting parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention pressure Israel to
immediately release all administrative detainees and cease the use of
administrative detention. Furthermore, Addameer calls on global civil
society to mobilize without delay in support of the striking detainees
and 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners currently being held in
Israeli prisons.</div>
<div>_______________________________________________________________________________________</div>
<div>For more information please see Addameer’s recent <a
href="http://www.addameer.org/files/Administrative%20Detention%20Summary.pdf">administrative
detention factsheet</a> and visit <a
href="file:///C:/Users/Clea/Desktop/24.04.14%20Statement/www.stopadcampaign.com">www.stopadcampaign.com</a></div>
</span>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
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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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