New York, NY – On Aug. 19, the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network held a picket in front of the G4S office in off of Fifth Avenue. Samidoun has been holding weekly protests to stand in solidarity and demand the freedom of Bilal Kayed, a Palestinian man who is being wrongly detained in the Israeli prisons.

Kayed is among 7000 Palestinian prisoners who are currently being held by Israel. His sentence was supposed to have ended on June 13, after a 14-and-half-year sentence handed down by the Israeli military court. However, June 13 came and went, and Kayed was not released. Instead, he was further sentenced to six months of prison without a charge or trial. This new decree had the caveat that it could be renewed indefinitely.

On June 15, Kayed launched a hunger strike and is on his 67th day. As of Aug. 20, reports are circulating that Kayed has been rushed to the Barzilai Hospital intensive care.

Protesters gathered in front of a G4S Security Solutions holding signs and Palestinians flags. G4S Security Solutions is a private security company that supplies prisons all over the world, including Israel. Chants ranged from, “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes” and “There is only one solution, intifada, revolution!”

Samidoun will continue to hold weekly protests, escalating each week, until Bilal Kayed is freed and is able to go home.

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