Ref: 32/2015
Date: 18 June 2015
Time: 12:30 GMT
The Palestinian center for Human Rights (PCHR) expresses its deep concern regarding the life of Khader Adnan, Palestinian detainee in an Israeli jail who has been on hunger strike for a month and a half, and holds the Israeli authorities fully responsible for his life. PCHR demands the international community to put pressure on Israeli forces for immediate release of Adnan who has been under administrative detention without a trial.
Adnan (37), from Arraba village, who has been on hunger strike for 46 days respectively since 07 May 2015, when he started his hunger strike in protest at the policy of arbitrary detention and renewal of his administrative detention for the third time.
On 08 July 2014, Israeli authorities arrested Adnan from his house and placed him under a 6-month administrative detention. When the period of his detention ended in January, the court extended the detention period for another six months. Therefore, he declared his hunger strike in protest against the continuation of his detention. The court decreased the detention period to 4 months. In early May, his detention was renewed for the third time respectively, so on 5 May 2015, he initiated the hunger strike which has been ongoing.
After the deterioration of his health condition, Adnan has been recently admitted to Assaf Harofeh Hospital in Israel, while being handcuffed to his bed all day long. The Palestinians Prisoner Club stated to the media that Adnan was visited three days ago and his hands and legs were tied to the hospital’s bed all day long. Moreover, Adnan started clearly suffering from new serious symptoms, which indicates that his health condition is deteriorating. Adnan suffers from severe pains throughout the body, imbalance, blue spots on the shoulders and speech problems.
It should be noted that Adnan had started an open hunger strike in December 2011 that lasted for 66 days in protest at his administrative detention. He ended that hunger strike on 22 February 2012, when an agreement was reached with the prisons administration to release him in exchange for ending his hunger strike. Adnan was indeed released on 17 April 2012.
Moreover, three other prisoners started an open hunger strike in Israeli jails in protest at their detention conditions:
The case of Khader Adnan and the other prisoners on hunger strike sheds the light on the detention conditions of more than 500 Palestinians who are currently placed under administrative detention in Israeli prisons and detention facilities, including MP Khaleda Jarar and 5 other Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). This Israeli policy is in violation of the right of a detainee to fair trial, including the right to receive appropriate defense and to be informed of charges against him. The Administrative detention is also in violation of the accused person’s right to have fair trial as it is applied by an administrative order only without referring to a court, thus violating the standards of impartial judicial procedures, including fair trial.
PCHR warns of the serious consequences of the Israeli government’s approval of a bill that would allow the force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strike if their lives are in danger. The bill will also go to the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. PCHR emphasizes that force-feeding or threatening of it is considered as one of the most degrading and cruel degrading treatment prohibited by the Convention against Torture and criminalized by the International Criminal Law. The force-feeding policy is an unjustifiable violation of the prisoners’ personal freedom and right to physical integrity, strike and protest especially that it poses threat on the hunger strikers’ lives.
It should be mentioned that the Israeli authorities caused the deaths of three Palestinian prisoners when thy subjected the prisoners to force-feeding in 1980 and 1983: Rasem Halawah; ‘Ali al-Ja’afary and Ishaq Maraghah.
PCHR is concerned over the life of Khader Adnan and other prisoners on hunger strike in the Israeli jails:
