Free Ahmad Sa'adat and his Comrades from Jericho Prison!

Reject U.S. / British / Zionist Interference in Palestinian Politics, Elections and Law!

January 12, 2006 marked the fourth anniversary of the illegal imprisonment of Ahmad Sa'adat, General Secretary of the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who has been detained without charges by the Palestinian Authority since 2002. Sa'adat's imprisonment, in violation of Palestinian and international law, has followed no trial, nor has he been charged with or convicted of any crime. He is a political prisoner in the fullest sense of the term, imprisoned at the behest of the United States, Great Britain, and Israel, for his activity and leadership in the PFLP. Sa'adat's case – and that of his comrades imprisoned with him in Jericho – is unique, because he is not being held directly by the Zionist state – instead, he is being held in a Palestinian Authority prison, watched over by British and U.S. guards.

Sa'adat is currently heading the Abu Ali Mustafa slate in the Palestinian Authority elections that will elect a new Palestinian Legislative Council in the West Bank and Gaza. While the Palestinian Authority, with these elections, is promising freedom, justice and transparency to the Palestinian people, Sa'adat, leading a slate in the elections, is being denied access to the media, family, friends and his comrades – not as a prisoner in a Zionist jail, but as a political prisoner of the Palestinian Authority. It is a fundamental issue of democracy that Sa'adat's full electoral participation is being denied while he is being held illegally. He, and his comrades, should be freed immediately!

Sa'adat was joined as a political prisoner by four of his comrades in the PFLP (Hamdi Quran, Basel Al-Asmar, Majdi Rimawi and Ahed Gholmi) on April 25, 2002, when the four were tried in an impromptu military court of the Palestinian Authority – as demanded by the United States and Great Britain as a condition for the end of Israel's siege of the Muqata'a, the presidential palace of the Palestinian Authority (PA). With Israeli tanks directly outside the Muqata'a, Quran, Al-Asmar, Rimawi and Gholmi were tried and sentenced for the December 2001 assassination of extremist Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi. Despite their civilian status, the four were tried before a military court presided over by Brigadier-General Ribhi Arafat, who has no legal standing to act as a judge. They were not allowed to have attorneys or proper legal defense in a trial that took a total of two hours. No evidence, no confessions and no statements were received in order to convict the four; all were found guilty and the verdicts immediately ratified by PA President Yasser Arafat, and the four were given no right to appeal the verdicts.

After the sentencing, the four were transferred, with the uncharged and untried Ahmad Sa'adat, to Jericho Prison, ostensibly under the control of the PA, but subject to the guardianship of United States and British forces. The director of the US/British “supervision” of the prisoners at Jericho Prison formerly ran the infamous Maze Detention Center for Britain in the North of Ireland. The prisoners are not subject to Palestinian sovereignty and authority, but rather to the conditions and demands of the United States and Great Britain. The flagrant violations of both Palestinian and international law embodied in the detention of Sa'adat and his comrades highlight the deep hypocrisy in US/British calls for “reform” of the PA and parallel the U.S. and British attempts to interfere in the Palestinian elections, and threaten and intimidate the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza into voting for the preferred candidates of the U.S., British and Zionist regimes.

Their attempts to interfere in the elections, alongside their continuing imprisonment of Sa'adat and prevention of his communication with the media and his comrades – necessary for his campaign – prove their utter disregard for Palestinian democracy and Palestinian law, and reveal their commitment to attempt to repress the Palestinian national struggle for liberation and self-determination. As the United States tries to create a proxy regime in Iraq while running rigged elections, it is trying its best to undermine Palestinian self-determination and democratic internal practices. The illegal imprisonment of Sa'adat and his comrades is part and parcel of the international strategy of the “war on terror,” whereby the United States and Great Britain wage illegal and inhumane wars, violate national sovereignty and self-determination, and incarcerate and repress political prisoners in order to wage a war on popular resistance to their designs upon the Arab nation – and the world.

Sa'adat and his comrades are held under intolerable conditions in Jericho Prison – conditions that have steadily worsened. They have been secluded from one another and not allowed to communicate. They have been denied access to newspapers and books, visits from family and others, telephone use, and daily exercise outside their prison cells. Water and electricity in their cells have been turned off, and numerous other punitive measures have been implemented against them. In response, Sa'adat and his comrades have engaged in two hunger strikes, demanding an end to inhumane treatment and their immediate release. Now, during the elections, at a time when media access and access to political comrades, as well as to family and friends, is critical for the full participation in the PLC elections, Sa'adat and his comrades' communication with the outside has been severely restricted. This is a violation of Palestinian democracy and an affront to self-determination, and the Palestinian Authority must put an end to this injustice.

Their imprisonment continues despite the fact that the Palestinian High Court of Justice, the highest Palestinian judicial body, has ruled that Sa'adat should be released immediately; despite the fact that numerous Palestinian and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have called for the release of Sa'adat and the implementation of Palestinian and international law; and despite the fact that all of the prisoners are being held as political prisoners, illegally detained and illegally tried and convicted—in violation of Palestinian and international law, and under the orders of the United States and Great Britain.

The imprisonment of Sa'adat and his comrades is an affront to international law, human rights and justice. It is an attack on the ability of Palestinians to organize and resist occupation and oppression, and has resulted in the institution of an illegal prison regime—in direct contravention of Palestinian sovereignty. It is an attempt to undermine Palestinian self-determination, using the mechanisms of the Palestinian Authority to provide for U.S., British and Zionist control over Palestinian political affairs.

We call upon the Palestinian Authority to recognize the decision of the Palestinian High Court of Justice and the guidelines of Palestinian and international law, and immediately release Sa'adat and his comrades. This is necessary on an immediate basis to ensure the full, democratic participation of Ahmad Sa'adat and the Abu Ali Mustafa slate in the PLC elections. Neither the United States, Great Britain, nor Israel have the right to play any role in the administration of Palestinian justice, and their involvement in demanding and supporting the imprisonment of Sa'adat and his comrades makes clear that their “war on terror” and their proposals for Palestinian “reforms” bear no commonality with international law, democracy or justice. Sa'adat and his comrades are political prisoners of the US-led “war on terror,” and they remain imprisoned only for their resistance to the occupation and oppression that daily brutalize Palestinians. If the PA is committed to democracy and transparency, it must no longer aid the suppression of Palestinian political activity and leadership, and should implement its own laws by immediately releasing Ahmad Sa'adat and his comrades.

Free Ahmad Sa'adat and his Comrades from Jericho Prison!

#Palestine #AhmadSaadat #PoliticalPrisoners #Statement #AddaneerPrisonerSupportAndHumanRightsAssociation #MiddleEast

Addaneer [Arabic for conscience] Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association is a Palestinian non-governmental, civil institution which focuses on human rights issues. Established in 1992 by a group of activists interested in human rights, the center's activities focus on offering support for Palestinian prisoners, advocating the rights of political prisoners and working to end torture through monitoring, legal procedures and solidarity campaigns.

Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association Public Statement

17 April 2009:

The Continuous Violation of Palestinian Political Prisoners’ Rights

17 April 2009 marks yet another Palestinian Prisoners’ Day in the occupied territory with nearly 8,400 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons and detention centers, among them 61 women, 423 children and approximately 550 administrative detainees, indefinitely held without charges or trial. The total number additionally includes 41 Palestinian Legislative Council members and 122 long-term prisoners serving sentences of 20 years and above.

Addameer is extremely concerned over Israel’s continued arrests, torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees, especially children under the age of 18. In 2008 alone, the Israeli Occupying Forces arrested nearly 4,960 Palestinians in more than 10,200 raids across the West Bank and Gaza Strip[1]. In addition, hundreds of Gazans were arrested in Israel’s most recent aggression on the Strip (27/12/2008 – 18/01/2008) and used as human shields during military operations and house searches. An approximate 100 of these are still hel d in Israel, including 10 “unlawful combatants” captured on the basis of the Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law of 2002, which allows for the indefinite administrative detention of foreign nationals.

In 2008, Addameer Association has documented at least 30 cases of torture and ill-treatment during arrest, transfer to detention and in interrogation centers aiming at coercing detainees into confessions. Abusive techniques included beatings, slapping and kicking – in some cases in front of family members – excessive use of blindfolds and painful handcuffs for prolonged periods of time, threats of torture and killing and lengthy transfers to detention centers without access to basic human needs. In addition, detainees were exposed to psychological pressure in collaborators’ rooms, denied lawyers’ visits, placed in solitary confinement, shackled in contorted positions and finally denied access to hygiene products, clean clothes, the use of sho wers and toilets for days and sometimes weeks.

Addameer stresses that detention conditions have not improved in comparison with last year and still fall far below accepted international standards, with overcrowding, humidity, the lack of natural light and a poor diet affecting both the mental and physical well-being of all detainees. Medical neglect seems to have become an institutionalized policy of the Israeli Prison Service, leading to the death of two detainees in 2008 – Fadel Shahin, of the Gaza Strip who died in Beersheba’s Eshel prison on 29/02/2008 and Jum’a Musa who passed away on 24/12/2008 in Ramla prison. The denial of specialized gender-sensitive medical care and counseling to female prisoners persisted, while their right to regular contact with family members, including children remained unfulfilled. Additionally, women prisoners were systematically exposed to degrading strip searches. The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) continued depriving child detainees of adequate schooling in line with the official Palestinian curriculum, whereas adult prisoners did not see their right to higher education in Arabic fulfilled. Rather than a right, the IPS views education as a privilege and makes it conditional on a prisoner’s d isciplinary record. Similarly, sanctions against prisoners from the Gaza Strip persisted. Since June 2007 when Israel unilaterally suspended the ICRC Gaza Family Visit Programme, 900 Gazan prisoners have continuously been deprived of the right to family visits.

Finally, Addameer reiterates its belief that Israel systematically arrests Palestinian political leaders to achieve political gains and thus keeps them in detention as “bargaining chips”. Following the collapse of Egypt-mediated prisoner exchange negotiations with Hamas on 18 March 2009, the Israeli Occupying Forces have raided West Bank towns and kidnapped 10 Palestinian political leaders, including 4 Palestinian Legislative Council members believed to be associated with Hamas. All of the arrested were consequently placed under administrative detention for a 6 month-period. Addameer reminds the international community that these arrests follow the Israeli government’s decision to implement sanctions against Hamas a nd Islamic Jihad prisoners as a way of ensuring the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit. On 29 March the Israeli government accepted recommendations presented by a special Ministerial Committee aiming at downgrading detention conditions of prisoners identified with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These punitive measures included: lowering the number of family visits to a minimum, preventing prisoners from either higher or secondary education, banning them from watching selected TV channels and listening to the radio; denying access to newspapers and lastly, placing restrictions on prisoners’ canteen accounts.

Consequently, some of the sanctions were implemented: children under the age of 6 visiting their fathers imprisoned in Gilboa were prevented from the usually allowed 10-15 minutes of physical contact at the end of the visit, while female prisoners affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad detained in Hasharon prison were threatened to be denied the right to family visits.

In light of the above and in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners, Addameer Association calls upon the international community to pressure Israel to ensure its compliance with international la w. More specifically, Addameer:

Urges the international community to pressure Israel to end its continuous policy of collective punishment against the Palestinian people and the use of prisoners as bargaining chips.

Demands that all administrative detainees be released promptly and unconditionally. Likewise, Addameer demands the right to a trial in which international standards and legal guarantees for fair trial are upheld for all political detainees.

Stresses that the use of torture and ill-treatment is prohibited under international law and constitutes a grave violation of human rights as inscribed in international standards and conventions. All cases of torture should be investigated while perpetrators should be brought to justice.

Calls upon the international community to pressure Israel to respect internationally recognized detention standards, including the right to regular family visits for all detainees without distinction, adequate and timely medical health care and the right to education. Moreover, Addameer urges the international community to act immediately in order to stop the implementation of further sanctions against detainees identified with Hamas and Islamic Jihad as such measures constitute collective punishment.

Calls for the immediate release of all child detainees held in Israeli custody. The international community should ensure that Israel abides by its commitments and obligations as included in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Demands that a special nutritional diet be provided to pregnant prisoners, nursing mothers, women suffering from treatable diseases, and most importantly children held with their mothers until the age of two. Equally, Addameer demands that female prisoners have access to specialized gender-sensitive medical including counseling.

Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

Ramallah, Rafidein Square, Sebat Bldg, 1st Floor, Suite 2

Tel. + 972 (0)2 296 0446 / 297 0136

Fax + 972 (0)2 296 0447

Email: info@addameer.ps

Website: www.addameer.info

#Palestine #PoliticalPrisoners #Statement #AddaneerPrisonerSupportAndHumanRightsAssociation #MiddleEast