April 17th is Palestinian Prisoners Day – a date to remind the public that thousands of Palestinian are imprisoned in Israeli jails under extremely difficult circumstances and are exposed to various forms of torture and inhumane treatment. A new campaign has been launched to raise awareness about the issue. The campaign asks people (among other things) to “wear black on the day and tell people why they are doing it”.
The Campaign’s objective, as explained by Naji Mohamed, Action Palestine’s campaigns officer is to “shed light on the plight of Palestinian prisoners which is a very crucial issue in the Palestinian cause but is very rarely talked about”.
Palestine student societies will organise actions and events about the issue of student prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centres. The campaign which is supported by several organisations, including, NUS Black Students Campaigns, PSC and FOSIS alongside others, is calling on people to use the logo of the campaign as their facebook profile picture on the 17th of April. Also a petition has been placed on the Downing Street website asking the Prime Minister to apply maximum pressure on the Israeli government for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Palestinian prisoners from the Occupied Territories, hundreds of whom are under the age of 18, are tried under military courts and sentenced by military judges. Defendants are often convicted on secret evidence and are given serve disproportionately long sentences.
In what is referred to as “administrative detention” the Israeli army is allowed to arbitrarily arrest and detain Palestinian civilians for periods of six months. After this period has ended the sentence can be extended without explanation. These loose guidelines allow the Israeli army to exercise broad and unchecked powers against the Palestinian population.
Naji added that Action Palestine as a student group is especially concerned with this issue as students in Palestine are the most severely affected by it. The Israeli army often launches waves of arrests against university students, particularly first year students, simply to collect information on them. The Israeli army has recently arrested eight Birzeit University students and one employee but none of them have been charged.
Ruqayyah Collector, NUS Black Students’ Officer explained that given the current conditions within these prisons this Prisoners Day is partiularly significant. In addition to the poor treatment and inhumane conditions under which Palestinians are held Palestinian prisoners at multiple detention centres have recently suffered direct attacks. These attacks often occur when Israeli forces attempted to transfer large numbers of prisoners from one detention facility to another. By moving prisoners around every few months Israel seeks to disrupt supportive relationships that form amongst prisoners.
Ruqayyah stressed that it has become of huge importance that the people of the world pressure their governments to hold Israel accountable for its violation to international law, particularly after the failure of the international community in protecting the rights of the Palestinians.
*END*
- To contact Action Palestine please email info@actionpalestine.org
- To view the campaign pamphlet please visit: http://www.actionpalestine.org/temp/Palestinian%20Political%20Prisoners.doc
A peaceful event to spread awareness about the wall in Palestine took place in Nottingham University (see video). The university security clamped down very heavily without good reason; violating the rights of students to be politically active. Also the police was called by the university and 2 arrests were made and the protesters were made to take the wall down!
Below is an article covering the incidents in the a local news paper this is Nottingham:
UNI ARREST SPARKS FREE SPEECH ROW
From www.thisisnottingham.co.uk
Footage showing the arrest of a University of Nottingham student during a campus protest has sparked a freedom of speech campaign on the internet.
A video of the arrest is currently posted on the YouTube website, while a Facebook group called Bring Back Freedom of Speech to University has attracted 900 members.
The 22-year-old student, who has asked not to be named, did not organise the event, meant to raise awareness of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and was initially a bystander.
Second-year law student Glen Wright started filming the protest when police were called. The video shows a police officer arguing with the unnamed student before arresting him for alleged breach of the peace.
The student told the Evening Post: “They shouldn’t have arrested me. As the video shows I was being slightly cocky, but that is no grounds for arrest.”
Students blocked a path near the university’s library with a wooden board, to represent the West Bank Wall. Security officers asked them to remove the board, and called police when the students refused.
The protest was organised by Nidal Hajaj, a second-year sociology student who is president of the university’s Palestinian Society. The group was given permission to have a protest stall on the university campus, but not to use the wooden board.
Mr Hajaj said: “I put the wall up and immediately a member of security came over. We said to them there was nothing illegal about it. It was blocking a path, but there was another path going around it.”
Glen Wright became involved after witnessing the argument between students and security staff.
He said: “I’m familiar with the law [being a law student] and realised what was happening was out of order.
“I couldn’t believe what was happening, all over this little ‘wall’.”
A spokesperson for Notts Police confirmed a 22-year-old student was arrested.
A spokesperson for the University of Nottingham said: “The protesters were asked repeatedly by university security staff to take the wall down so that the students could continue with the protest in the manner in which they had agreed.”
The students refused.
The video shows a police officer telling the student now at the centre of the campaign: “You are inflaming the situation.”
The police officer and student are then heard arguing.
Allow Khaled Mudallal and all other Palestinians to travel.
A Palestinian student urgently trying to get back to Bradford University to start his third year of study, has found him self unable to do so after Israel identified Gaza as “hostile territory” this week, effectively closing it off to the outside world and in the process creating the world’s largest open air prison. Khaled Mudallal, 22, a British-educated business and management student who risks losing his third year if he does not return to Bradford next week, has become its latest inmate. The Israeli human rights organisation Gisha, is presenting a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court arguing that new restrictions which have so far prevented several hundred Palestinian students from Gaza to return to courses abroad is a violation of international law. Khaled must be allowed to return to the UK immediately to continue his studies, and all other Palestinian students studying abroad should be allowed to return to their respective universities. Any delay in Khaled’s and the other Palestinian students return is damaging to their future prospects and thus unacceptable.
Check out this article in The Independent newspaper about the issue
Also check out this facebook group
How to help:
1. Sign the on-line petition calling on the British Government to pressure the Israeli.
2. Pass a motion through your student union. Click here for a model motion.
3. Send demanding that the british goverments puts pressure on the Israeli goverment to allow freedom of movement for palestinians, to:
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Here is a model letter you can use:
I’m writing to you to express my anger about the case of Khaled Mudallal A Palestinian student urgently trying to get back to Bradford University to start his third year of study who found has found him self unable to do so after Israel identified Gaza as “hostile territory”, effectively closing it off to the outside world and in the process creating the world’s largest open air prison.
Khaled Mudallal, 22, a British-educated business and management student would risk losing his third year if he does not return to Bradford next week.
We demand that the British government puts maximum pressure on the Israeli government to allow the freedom of movement for Palestinians.
4. Contact the Palestinian solidarity group at your University to cooradante you work.