Ref:
37/2015

On
Thursday, 25June2015, with the participation of activists of civil society
organizations, activists and associations concerned with the affairs of
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, public figures, nationalist and Islamic
factions, and journalists, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) organized,
an event in solidarity with Khader Adnan, a Palestinian placed under
administrative detention who has been on hunger strike for 52 days, and other Palestinian
prisoners in the Israeli jails. The event was held in the hall of Commodore
Hotel at Gaza beach, and was facilitated by Hamdi Shaqqura, PCHR’s Deputy Director
for Program Affairs.

Dr.
Riyadh al-Za’noun, Chairman of PCHR’s Board of Directors, opened the event.  He welcomed the attendees and called upon the
organizations to give more attention and provide care for the families of
Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails. 
Al-Za’noun emphasized that Khader ‘Adnan, who has been on hunger strike
for 52 days y, will win his battle, which he has initiated with his empty
stomach against his jailors, as he won the first time.  Al-Za’noun noted that ‘Adnan entered a
critical stage in his ongoing hunger strike as each day that passes will be fraught
with freedom and victory over the jailers.

Mr.
Raji Sourani, Director of PCHR, presented an intervention titled as “Human
rights organizations and their work regarding the prisoners’ cause at the
international level: a fixed agenda and not a seasonal action”. He stressed
that Khader Adnan is leading a decisive battle with his body cells against the
Israeli policy of administrative detention systematically used by Israel in
violation of international laws and human rights instruments after all the
legal and popular weapons failed. Sourani stressed that this battle is his
battle to defend the rights of prisoners and human dignity adding the he represents
an advanced case of the conscience of the Arab Palestinian people. Sourani also
addressed the role of human rights organizations, especially PCHR, in working
on the prisoners’ causes.  He reviewed PCHR’s
continuous efforts in this field especially at the international level.  He also emphasized that PCHR has never dealt
with the detainees’ cause seasonally or occasionally.

Mr.
Issa Qaraqe’a, Chairman of the Palestinian Department of Prisoner Affairs,
presented an intervention titled as “The role of Prisoner Affairs Department
in the protection of prisoners”. He praised the important role of the hunger
strike carried out by Khader Adnan in reviving the issue of administrative
detention in the world, and exposing its systematic use by Israel. Qaraqe’a
stressed that efforts must be united with international and human rights
organizations to intensify the boycott campaigns against Israel to force it to
respect the rights of Palestinian prisoners. Qaraqe’a also stressed the need to
hold an urgent meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Convention
in order to discuss the policy of administrative detention and put an end to the
Israeli violations committed against the Palestinian prisoners, especially the
systematic use of torture against them.

Ms.
Sahar Francis, Director General of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights
Association, talked in her intervention, titled as “Prisoners’ rights in the
international law and the latter’s position towards the administrative
detention and the right to strike”, about the very critical health condition
of Khader Adnan.  She also warned of the current
seriousness of his condition as his internal organs began to collapse
functionally, which endangers his life. Francis said that there are three other
prisoners on hunger strike; two of them are administrative detainees as well.
Francis explained that administrative detention is an unjust detention without
charge or trial.  Moreover, the Israeli allegation
of evidence that is secretly provided to the Israeli military justice is a
veiled attempt to legitimize unfair procedures. At the end of her intervention,
Francis emphasized that efforts must now be combined to thwart Israel’s
attempts to pass a law in the Knesset to impose the policy of force-feeding,
which is a form of torture and a crime by all standards.

Mr.
Fo’ad al-Razem, a former prisoner, stressed in his speech titled “Conditions
of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails” that Adnan’s aim is not only to
end his administrative detention, but to confront the policy of administrative
detention. Al-Razem explained the suffering experienced by Palestinian
prisoners in Israeli jails, the most prominent of which are medical negligence,
night and naked search, malnutrition and poor ventilation. He highlighted that
the conditions under which prisoners are detained have serious and long-term
impact on their health, due to which the majority of former prisoner suffer
from chronic diseases that caused the deaths of some of them. At the end of his
speech, al-Razem said that different bodies neglected the administrative
detention cause, due to which Israeli authorities escalated this policy.

Ayman
al-Sharawna, another former prisoner, displayed in his speech, titled
“Hunger strike and force-feeding (personal experience)”, the
suffering of hunger striking prisoners as he was one of those who went through
a long hunger strike. Al-Sharawna underscored that for a prisoner to take the
decision to start hunger strike is too serious and a prisoner would take that
decision as the last choice. He added that the gravity of Adnan’s hunger strike
lies in that he is not taking any ‏food supplements that would make him survive. Besides, Adnan
started having black vomit, which shows that Adnan is determined to complete
this battle as soon as possible and oblige the occupation to respond to his
demands.

Mr.
Hani Mezher talked on behalf of the Prisoners’ Committee of Islamic and
National Factions about the suffering of prisoners in Israeli jails, which leads
them to start hunger strike. Mezher emphasized the necessity of exerting
efforts to take the Palestinian prisoners’ case to the International Criminal
Court (ICC) and to put an end to the administrative detention policy adopted by
Israeli authorities against Palestinian civilians. At the end of his speech,
Mezher called for promptly holding a meeting of all powers to support the
prisoners’ struggle in the Israeli jails.

At
the end of the event, discussion was allowed. The participants expressed their
support for Adnan’s just and legal demands. All the attendants stressed the importance
of uniting the Palestinian efforts, including achieving the national unity as
soon as possible, to confront the Israeli occupation and the crimes it commits
against the Palestinians, especially the prisoners. 

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