PFLP leader passes away

July 29, 2009

Fight Back News Service is reprinting the following statement from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on the passing of Dr. Ahmad Maslamani, an important leader in the fight to free Palestine.

Farewell, Comrade Leader Dr. Ahmad Maslamani

On Monday morning, January 7, 2008, Comrade Leader Dr. Ahmad Maslamani, member of the Central Committee of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, passed in a Ramallah hospital after suffering a heart attack. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine mourns the loss of a true leader who has been a servant of his people and his comrades since a very early age. Comrade Ahmad is the co-founder and director of the Health Work Committees in the West Bank. His death is a great loss for the Palestinian national movement, particularly in the field of health and public service.

Comrade Ahmad was arrested by the occupation forces on numerous occasions, spending a total of seven years in Israeli detention and prisons, and throughout, he demonstrated the utmost commitment and determination in confronting the occupation. Comrade Ahmad Maslamani belongs to the Maslamani family, who are widely known and respected in Jerusalem for their sacrifices for freedom of the Palestinian people.

Born in Jerusalem in 1958, Comrade Ahmad studied in al-Umma schools, before traveling to Romania, where he received his medical degree. In the mid-1980s, he returned to Palestine and was immediately detained. His role in the first and second intifada was very prominent, where he personally engaged in treatment of the injured and the establishment of health clinics throughout impoverished sectors, particularly in refugee camps. His last arrest was on September 9, 2005 and his detention continued until March 14, 2006. His many years of experience in detention and prison, where he suffered from torture and ill treatment, had lasting effects on his physical health.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine extends its deepest condolences to Comrade Dr. Nufuz Maslamani, his wife, and to Ahmad's family and comrades, and its pledge to continue to be faithful to his path of resistance until the liberation of Palestine.