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<div class="header reader-header reader-show-element"> <font
size="-2"><a class="domain reader-domain"
href="https://samidoun.net/2020/01/107-days-of-hunger-strike-israeli-occupation-military-court-rejects-ahmad-zahrans-appeal/">https://samidoun.net/2020/01/107-days-of-hunger-strike-israeli-occupation-military-court-rejects-ahmad-zahrans-appeal/</a></font>
<h1 class="reader-title">107 Days of Hunger Strike: Israeli
occupation military court rejects Ahmad Zahran's appeal</h1>
January 7, 2020</div>
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<figure id="attachment_35014"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35014"
class="wp-caption"><img
src="https://i0.wp.com/samidoun.net/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ahmad-zahran.png?resize=700%2C472&ssl=1"
alt="" width="630" height="424"><figcaption
id="caption-attachment-35014" class="wp-caption-text"><i>Poster
of Ahmad Zahran at a support protest. Photo: Quds
News</i></figcaption></figure>
<p>The Israeli occupation’s Ofer military court rejected
the appeal of Palestinian prisoner <a
href="https://samidoun.net/2020/01/solidarity-strikes-expand-as-ahmad-zahran-approaches-103rd-day-of-hunger-strike/">Ahmad
Zahran</a>, on hunger strike for the 107th day against
his imprisonment without charge or trial. The military
court had repeatedly delayed in issuing the decision,
despite Zahran’s weakening health. It earlier had
requested that he end his hunger strike in order to be
subjected to further interrogation, which Zahran
refused. He has been jailed under administrative
detention, Israeli imprisonment without charge or trial,
since March 2019.</p>
<p>Due to the severity of his health condition, Zahran was
also transferred to the civilian <a
href="https://www.wattan.tv/ar/news/298906.html">Kaplan
hospital</a> on Monday, 6 January. He has lost over 35
kilograms (77 pounds) of weight, is unable to walk and
has pain throughout his body. Zahran, 42, from the
village of Deir Abu Mishaal, launched a previous hunger
strike for 39 days, which he suspended after a promise
to not renew his detention. Instead, his detention was
renewed in violation of the agreement, sparking him to
launch the strike again. In the past, he has spent
almost 15 years in Israeli prisons. Palestinian
prisoners transferred to civil prisons are routinely
shackled to their hospital beds and held under heavy
military guard, despite their severely ill health.</p>
<figure id="attachment_35188"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35188"
class="wp-caption"><img
src="https://i1.wp.com/samidoun.net/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/rafahprotest3.jpg?resize=700%2C525&ssl=1"
alt="" width="630" height="472"><figcaption
id="caption-attachment-35188" class="wp-caption-text"><i>Protesters
in Gaza urge freedom for Zahran, 7 January. Photo:
Hadf News</i></figcaption></figure>
<p>On the 90th day of his hunger strike, Israeli
interrogators appeared at the Ramon prison clinic
seeking to interrogate Zahran. Military prosecutors
claimed a need to interrogate him in order to direct the
military court to delay or refuse his appeal. He had not
been subjected to interrogation at any time prior to or
earlier during his strike, leading Due to his severe
health state, the interrogation could not continue.</p>
<p>Zahran’s lawyers emphasized that they would continue
the legal battle, while Palestinian prisoners inside
Israeli jails launched further solidarity strikes to
demand his freedom. In a statement, the Palestinian
Prisoners’ Society and the Palestinian Prisoners Study
Center noted that Israeli intelligence agencies are
working to thwart any agreement to end Zahran’s strke
and secure his freedom. They said that the intelligence
agencies have interfered to prevent an agreement between
Zahran and the prison administration in an attempt to
deny him a victory in the hunger strike.</p>
<p>Several Palestinian prisoners, including Jamil Ankoush,
have been carrying out extended strikes in support of
Zahran, while a group of <a
href="http://hadfnews.ps/post/63661">prisoners in the
Israeli occupation Gilboa prison</a> began a one-day
strike on Tuesday, 7 January. This is one of a series of
rolling strikes called by the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine in Israeli prisons. Nader
Sadaqa, Ahmad Yassin, Majd Ba’ajawi, Ahmed Saleh, Badr
al-Ruzza, Mahmoud Tayem, Khaled Kiblawi, Ahmad Issa,
Baraa Abu Omar and Moataz al-Suruji joined in the
collective solidarity action. The PFLP prison branch
emphasized that these were initial steps and that the
protests would be escalated if Zahran is not released.</p>
<figure id="attachment_35189"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35189"
class="wp-caption"><img
src="https://i1.wp.com/samidoun.net/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/rafahprotest2.jpg?resize=695%2C521&ssl=1"
alt="" width="630" height="472"><figcaption
id="caption-attachment-35189" class="wp-caption-text"><i>Protesters
in Gaza urge freedom for Zahran, 7 January. Photo:
Hadf News</i></figcaption></figure>
<p><a
href="https://samidoun.net/2019/12/palestinian-prisoners-leader-isolated-struggle-grows-as-zahran-reaches-99-days-of-hunger-strike/">Wael
Jaghoub</a>, the leader of the PFLP’s branch in
Israeli prisons, was ordered <a
href="http://hadfnews.ps/post/63648/">to isolation</a>
as the prisoners announced their collective steps of
struggle. On 6 January, Jaghoub was barred by the
Israeli occupation prison administration from receiving
family visits for six months. When his family members
arrived at the prison gate on Monday, they were told
they could not see him and that the ban would be in
place for six months.</p>
<p>After Jaghoub’s fellow prisoners in Hadarim were
informed of the decision, they immediately began to
protest. The family were then allowed to visit for 15
minutes only in a completely isolated room. After the
visit was over, the family members’ permits to enter
were taken from them. Palestinian prisoners are
routinely denied family visits because they are
imprisoned within ’48 Palestine and their family members
from the West Bank or Gaza require special permits to
allow their entry. Family members are repeatedly denied
these permits on the grounds of spurious “security
concerns.”</p>
<p><a href="http://hadfnews.ps/post/63672/">Palestinians
in Rafah, Gaza</a>, organized a demonstration to
support Zahran’s strike and demand his freedom. Ahmad
Barakat, speaking on behalf of the PFLP, called for
international organizations and institutions,
particularly the International Committee of the Red
Cross, to intervene and stop the policy of
administrative detention. There are approximately 450
Palestinians held in administrative detention, of around
5,000 total Palestinian political prisoners held in
Israeli jails. These detention orders, introduced to
Palestine by the British colonial mandate and then
adopted by the Zionist project, are issued for up to six
months at a time but are indefinitely renewable on the
basis of “secret evidence.” Palestinians may be jailed
for years at a time due to indefinitely renewable
detention orders.</p>
<figure id="attachment_35187"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-35187"
class="wp-caption"><img
src="https://i1.wp.com/samidoun.net/site/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/rafahprotest4.jpg?resize=700%2C525&ssl=1"
alt="" width="630" height="472"><figcaption
id="caption-attachment-35187" class="wp-caption-text"><i>Protesters
in Gaza urge freedom for Zahran, 7 January. Photo:
Hadf News</i></figcaption></figure>
<p>Barakat also urged Palestinians and supporters to
participate in actions and demonstrations to support the
prisoners, including upcoming mobilizations to <a
href="https://samidoun.net/2019/12/call-to-action-free-ahmad-saadat-and-all-palestinian-prisoners-15-29-january-2020/">free
imprisoned PFLP General Secretary Ahmad Sa’adat and
all Palestinian prisoners</a>, planned for 15 to 29
January.</p>
<p>A further demonstration in support of Zahran and his
fellow prisoners has been called for Wednesday, 8
January at 3:00 pm at Manara Square in Ramallah,
Palestine.</p>
<p>Zahran’s strike is also accompanied by <a
href="http://hadfnews.ps/post/63661">escalating
tensions in Israeli prisons</a> overall. In Ramon
prison, the Palestinian prisoners announced that they
were dissolving organizational representation, a protest
step indicating that they expect their demands to
receive a serious reply. This comes in response to the
repressive invasion and transfer in section 6 of the
prison. 120 Palestinians jailed there were suddenly
transferred to Nafha prison and denied the opportunity
to bring their belongings or even their outer clothes,
despite the cold weather.</p>
<p><strong>Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity
Network reiterates our full and unconditional
solidarity with Ahmad Zahran and all Palestinian
prisoners struggling for freedom. We urge all
supporters of justice around the world to take a stand
with Ahmad Zahran, whose life is on the line as he
struggles to bring an end to administrative detention.
International solidarity can be important to show
Palestinian prisoners like Ahmad Zahran that they are
not forgotten and to put pressure on the Israeli state
– and the governments that support it – to support
Zahran in achieving victory for justice and freedom.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Join the call to action: <a
href="https://samidoun.net/2019/12/ahmad-zahran-heads-toward-100-days-of-hunger-strike-demand-his-freedom/">https://samidoun.net/2019/12/ahmad-zahran-heads-toward-100-days-of-hunger-strike-demand-his-freedom/</a></strong></p>
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