Jordanian engineer and detainee Bushra Al-Eissi, who has been held under administrative detention since 16 July 2025, has launched an open-ended hunger strike in protest at her detention without charge and without being presented before a court.
According to available information, the administration of Juwaidah Women’s Prison transferred Al-Eissi to solitary confinement immediately after she announced her hunger strike, and deprived her of essential drinking water. She was reportedly subjected to coercive and punitive measures in an attempt to force her to end her peaceful protest, despite her strike being one form of peaceful expression used to resist injustice.
Al-Eissi is known for her activism in support of Gaza and her participation in popular protests against the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip. She was arrested twice in the past year due to her peaceful activism, most recently in June 2024. She was detained for 11 days without judicial process before being re-detained this month without being presented before a judge or formally charged.
Her current administrative detention constitutes a serious violation, amounting to arbitrary deprivation of liberty and a clear breach of the principles of due process and separation of powers. The use of security decisions to circumvent the judiciary undermines guarantees of fair trial and turns personal freedom into a tool for arbitrary assessments by security services.
Administrative detention without charge or trial is in direct contradiction with Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees every individual the right to liberty and security. It strictly prohibits arbitrary arrest or detention, and affirms the right of every detainee to be brought promptly before a judge and to challenge the legality of their detention.
Al-Eissi has also been subjected to punitive measures inside prison, including solitary confinement, denial of water, and deprivation of personal hygiene essentials and clothing. These measures fall within the scope of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and violate international standards for the treatment of detainees. They also amount to a serious threat to her physical and psychological well-being.
The continued use of administrative detention as a tool to silence dissenting voices and suppress political or rights-based activism represents a dangerous threat to public freedoms in the country. It also undermines trust in legal institutions and spreads a climate of fear and political repression.
In light of these developments, there is an urgent need for immediate and unconditional action to secure Al-Eissi’s release and to ensure accountability for her arbitrary detention. Any delay in addressing her health situation while on hunger strike places full responsibility on the state for her life and safety.
