Ref: 12/2012
Date: 31 January 2011
Time: 12:30 GMT

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is concerned over the deterioration in the health condition of Khader Adnan, a detainee in Israeli jails, who has been on hunger strike for about 45 days. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressurize Israel to comply with international law and stop the systematic cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of Adnan and other Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Khader Adnan Mohammed Mousa, 33, a leader of Islamic Jihad, from ‘Arabba village southwest of Jenin, on 17 December 2011. According to his wife, he declared a hunger strike following his arrest, in protest to the inhuman detention conditions. On 31 December 2011, he was transferred from al-Jalama detention facility to al-Ramla Prison. On 08 January 2012, an administrative order was issued, extending his detention for 4 months. On 13 January 2012, a session was scheduled in Ofer Court, south of Ramallah, to consider an appeal by his lawyer against the administrative order, but the session was adjourned as Adnan was not present. In the meantime Adnan had been on hunger strike, taking only small amounts of water and salt. Consequently, his health condition deteriorated and he was transferred to al-Ramla Hospital on 29 January 2012, and was placed in solitary confinement. He was denied family visitation; he was allowed to phone his family for 10 minutes only. On Monday, 30 January 2012, Adnan was brought to Ofer Court in a wheelchair as his health conditions had deteriorated. His wife was not allowed to attend the court session, and his lawyer was banned from talking to him. The court session was adjourned to Wednesday, 01 February 2012. Subsequently, Adnan declared that he would stop drinking water. This may cause further deterioration to his health conditions.

PCHR is concerned for the life of Khader Adnan, who has been detained in Israeli jails, and:

1. Calls upon the international community to pressurize IOF to release him to avoid risking his life;
2. Reiterates its call for the international community to stop systematic serious abuses against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities;
3. Emphasizes that administrative detention is illegal and falls under the category of political arrests, constituting a violation of the detainee’s right to a fair trial, including his right to receive adequate defense and to be informed of the charges against him.