Repeated Administrative Detention Is A Major Reason For Hunger Strike
The Occupation Authorities Use Administrative Detention As An Easy Way To Detain Activists
Officials In Palestine And Jordan Must Put The Detainees’ File On Their Priority List
Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) held the Israeli Occupation Authorities fully responsible for the life of the prisoners who went on hunger strike for varying periods protesting against the administrative detention orders issued against them. Vital organs of the body begun to pose a threat to the lives of prisoners after more than a month of hunger strike.
Prisoner Hiba Al-Labadi, who got arrested on 20 August 2019 at the Al-Karama Crossing, was transferred to “Bnai Zion” Hospital in Haifa after going on a hunger strike for more than a month to protest her administrative detention order for 6 months. Hiba frequently faints and feels pain in the heart.
On 20 August 2019 Al-Labadi got arrested while passing through Al-Karama Crossing to visit her family in Jenin. She was taken to the “Petah Tikva” Center, where she suffered physical and psychological torture as well as being subjected to degrading treatment. She was interrogated with in the absence of a lawyer from 09:00 am to 2:00 am on a daily basis for 16 days, and she was finally brought to court, which ordered her administrative detention for six months. “Ofer” Court confirmed the decision on 17 October 2019.
AOHR UK added that prior to her transfer to the hospital, Al-Labadi was held in a solitary confinement inside a tiny, dirty unventilated cell full of insects. The cell had four surveillance cameras posing on her all the time. She was deprived of all personal belongings, and was denied access to her lawyer of her family.
AOHR UK pointed out four prisoner who went on hunger strike at different times, some of them for more than three months, protesting their administrative detention, while the Occupying Authorities completely disregarded their demands despite the deterioration of their health.
Those are;
Prisoner Ali Ismail Ahmed Ali (30 years), who is currently suffering from a severe drop in heart rate of up to 25%, weakness in the heart muscle, pain in the kidneys. He has been on hunger strike for 99 days until today.
Prisoner Mosaab Tawfik Al-Hindy (36 years) completed 31 days of hunger strike until today.
Prisoner Ahmed Omar Zahra (29 years), who completed 36 days of hunger strike until today.
Prisoner Tariq Hussein Qadan (46 years), has suspended his hunger strike on Sunday, which lasted for 89 days, after he reached an agreement with the prison administration to release him in February of 2020.
The administrative detention is one of the most dangerous policies practiced by the Occupation Authorities against Palestinian prisoners. According to a secret file, the Occupation Authorities can detain any activist for long periods.
Prisoners have the right to combat this unjust policy by all means, including hunger strike, which is painful and sometimes even fatal; because there is no other way to deter the Occupation Authorities to stop the arbitrary use of administrative detention.
AOHR UK confirms that the continued practices by the Occupation Authorities to disregard the demands of prisoners, Al-Labadi and others, is a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions and requires a serious stance by the international community who should call for their release, especially as their lives are now in danger due to their ongoing hunger strikes.
AOHR UK calls on the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Jordanian King to put the prisoners’ file on their priority list, and work with officials in the international community to close the file of administrative detention completely.
