<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<div id="container" class="container font-size5 content-width3">
<div id="reader-header" class="header" style="display: block;"
dir="ltr"> <font size="-2"><a id="reader-domain" class="domain"
href="http://www.addameer.org/news/urgent-action-hunger-strikers-risk-permanent-health-complications">http://www.addameer.org/news/urgent-action-hunger-strikers-risk-permanent-health-complications</a></font>
<h1 id="reader-title">Urgent Action: Hunger strikers at risk of
permanent health complications</h1>
<div id="meta-data" class="meta-data">
<div id="reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr" style="text-align:
left;"><span class="date-display-single">07 November 2017</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="content">
<div id="moz-reader-content" class="line-height4" dir="ltr"
style="display: block;">
<div id="readability-page-1" class="page">
<div class="page clearfix" id="page">
<section id="section-content" class="section
section-content">
<div id="zone-content-wrapper" class="zone-wrapper
zone-content-wrapper clearfix">
<div id="zone-content" class="zone zone-content
clearfix container-12">
<div class="grid-9 region region-content"
id="region-content">
<div class="region-inner region-content-inner">
<div class="block block-system block-main
block-system-main odd block-without-title"
id="block-system-main">
<div class="block-inner clearfix">
<div class="content clearfix">
<article class="node node-news
node-published node-not-promoted
node-not-sticky author-intern1 odd
clearfix" id="node-news-2979">
<div class="content clearfix"> <span
class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32
a2a_target addtoany_list" id=""><a
class="a2a_button_twitter"
target="_blank"
href="http://www.addameer.org/#twitter"
rel="nofollow noopener"><span
class="a2a_label"></span></a> </span>
<div class="field field-name-body
field-type-text-with-summary
field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even">
<p>Today marks the twenty-first
day that Bilal Diab has been
undertaking a hunger strike
against his administrative
detention. Having been held
without charge for a year and
hunger striking for 78 days in
2012, Bilal was rearrested by
occupation forces on 14 July
2017. He was given a six month
administrative detention
order, without being informed
of the apparent reason for his
imprisonment.</p>
<p>This barber from the village
of Kufr Ra’i, outside of
Jenin, is currently
undertaking the third hunger
strike since his initial
imprisonment in 2012. These
strikes add up to a total of
113 days spent without food.</p>
<p>Such a period, despite the
fact that it has been split
up, is currently having
serious impacts on his health.
From day 10 to day 21 of a
hunger strike, the period
termed ‘decomposition’ begins.
This period is characterized
by emaciation, and a sharp
decrease in cognitive ability.
The risk of long term health
consequences, and death,
severely rises after day 21. </p>
<p>Hunger striking requires a
huge measure of discipline and
will. It amounts to a form of
self-torture, which can bring
the individual extremely close
to death. We all must ask, why
do Palestinian prisoners
continually put themselves in
such conditions. The answer
inevitably is that, in the
mind of these prisoners,
perpetual detainment without
charge or reason amounts to a
fate worse than death. It is
neither being really alive or
really dead, but a kind of
limbo.</p>
<p>Bilal is being held under a
process known as
‘administrative detention’.
Under such a process,
individuals can be held for an
indefinite period of time
without charge or knowing the
reason for their detainment.
Administrative detention
orders are issued for up to
six month periods, and can
theoretically be renewed an
infinite number of times. They
are issued based on
information provided to a
judge by the intelligence
services, which is meant to
demonstrate the apparent
security risk of the
individual in question. This
information does not have to
be shared by the judge with
the individual or with their
legal representation.</p>
<p>Addameer considers
administrative detention to be
illegal under international
humanitarian law. The scope
and extent to which the policy
is applied by the occupation
authorities means that it
cannot possibly be for
“imperative reasons of
security”, as stipulated under
Article 78 of the Fourth
Geneva Convention. Currently,
there are 463 individuals
being held under this process.</p>
<p>As such, Addameer is calling
for an urgent action regarding
Bilal’s case and the other two
prisoners, Hasan Hasneen
Showka and Hamze Marwan
Boozea, who have been on
hunger strike for 28 and 22
days respectively. More
information on each of their
cases will be released over
the coming days. </p>
<p>We call for the immediate
release of these three
prisoners in particular, and
all administrative detainees
in general. If the occupation
regime wishes to detain these
people, they should allow for
due process and a fair trial.</p>
<p>In order to pressure the
occupation authorities, we
call on our supporters to do
the following:</p>
<ul>
<li> If from an EU country, we
call on you to contact your
EU parliament member and
compel them to issue a
statement in the Parliament
against administrative
detention.</li>
<li> If for any other
countries, contact your
local representative to
compel them to do the same.</li>
<li> Share Addameer’s
information on both
Administrative Detention,
and our upcoming information
on hunger strikes.</li>
<li> Change your profile
picture on social media to
the picture below in
solidarity for the duration
of the hunger strike.</li>
</ul>
<p>In solidarity with the hunger
strikers, Addameer will be
publishing more information on
the prisoners, hunger strikes,
and administrative detention
in the coming days. </p>
<p><br>
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</article>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://freedomarchives.org/">https://freedomarchives.org/</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>