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AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HAS called on Israel to either release or charge a hunger-striking prisoner who has spent over 50 days protesting his detention by refusing food.
Khader Adnan was arrested in 17 December at his home in the village of Arrabe near Jenin in the West Bank after a raid by Israeli security forces in the early hours of the morning.
Adnan is described as a baker by Amnesty. The Ma’an news agency reports that he is a well-known Islamic Jihad leader.
He is being held under an administrative detention order which allows Israel to detain those considered a threat to the country’s security for up to six months without charge.
Adnan has been hospitalised since 30 December as his health has deteriorated and it was reported last week that Israeli authorities had been granted permission to force feed the 33-year-old.
“For years Israel has been using administrative detention to lock up Palestinian activists without charge or trial,” said Ann Harrison, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for the Middle East.
“Military commanders can renew the detention orders repeatedly, so in effect detainees can be held indefinitely. The process violates their right to a fair trial which is guaranteed by international law Israel is obliged to uphold.”
His hunger strike has prompted demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and according to Amnesty, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have announced a hunger strike in solidarity.
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A prisoner held in an Israeli Prison dying from malnutrition wearing a Striped Pajamas would strike a strange photo and somewhat ironic not to mention controversial.
Has nothing been learned from WW2 and how they were treated? Or is this the reason they are satisfied in their consciousness that it is ok to treat others this way? Not hearing, no charges, just a constant cycle of internment without release,, Sounds very familiar to something the whole world condemned not so long ago.
If the Nazis had confined their activities against Jews to “internment” your point might be arguable. But they most certainly did not and your comparison is odious and ignorant. A number of hunger-strikers died on Thatcher’s watch. Would you compare her to Hitler?Or the Maze to Auschwitz? (Maybe you would).
well said, Zionism has turned into Fascism.
Israel was not like this at it’s inception…and not meant to be either.
What’s fascist about arresting someone who is part of an org that celebrates Jewish deaths??
In fairness, we don’t know if he’s a baker or an Islamic Jihad Leader, it’s pretty much Amnesty’s word against Israel’s.
Barry Shatter, sorry, Alan Williams, or is it Barry Williams and Alan Shatter (one and the same) will defend any injustices carried out by the Israeli state against civilians. If this guy is a terrorist, then charge him, bring him to court, find him guilty and move on… If he is not a terrorist, then release him and all th other civilians held in these camps. Barry, you cant have it both ways. Either you support justice, or you support state terrorism… which is it ?
This being from the same guy who presumed I was israeli??? Lol
With the way you carry on Baz, I’d say he’s not the only one…. Boy
Barry, the issue is not arresting somebody, it is holding them without charge which is the violation of human rights.
Islamic Jihad abuse international human rights laws to allow them to commit their attempted and sometimes successfull murder of Israeli civilians.
Their human rights are repeatedly ignored
So, you support israe3li abuse of human rights and international law as long as its perpretrated against someone who allegedly supports abuse of human rights and international law.
Does this not make you as bad as the person you’re demonisiong? You both support human rights abuses.
So in the eyes of Amnesty International. A leader of Islamic Jihad is a Palestinian rights activist. Amnesty has truly lost its moral compass.
Innocent until proven guilty? Or should any government have the right to indefinitely hold any citizen (or not here). If he’s a known terrorist then they can charge him otherwise they should release him.
So you agree in principal with internment?
Hi Barry,
If you look at our story on this (http://bit.ly/AAnb5d), or indeed even at the headline of the Journal story, you’ll see that we very clearly state that if there is evidence against this man that he has committed a crime, he should be charged, and if convicted after a fair trial, he should obviously be punished in accordance with the law.
We also do not refer to him as a ‘Palestinian rights activist’. We do make the point that the Israeli authorities have frequently used administrative detention against Palestinian activists, and this is correct.
Thanks to the Journal team for highlighting this case.
Barry Williams accusing Amnesty Ireland of bias in relation to the israeli/palestinian conflict…….
Is that not a bit like Quazimodo accusing a catwalk model of bad posture?
Lol
At which court of law, has he been found guilty of being a leader of Islamic jihad or any other crime. ? Israel is a terrorist / apartheid state who have no respect for the human rights of the Palestinian people.
There was a huge out cry in Israel about the kidnapping and illegal detention of the Israeli soldier Gilaht Shalit who was also held without trial, recourse to legal advice or red cross visits. Thankfully he was finally released from this illegal detention eventually. The crowd who held him would have taken the same position as Israel that he was an enemy combatent that posed threat to them. Israel once again is showing the usual hypocritical stance of one law for Israel and one law for everyone else. If this man is a threat then they should provide evidence, give him a fair trial and if found guilty then impose a penalty as pro scribed by law. Otherwise Isreal is no better morally than the Hamas kidnappers of Ghilat Shalit.
Israeli prisoners are entitled to red cross visits. Contact with their family. And Amnesty Ireland never once called for Gilads’s release .
Firstly Barry Amnesty have called for his release as for back as 2006 http://www.amnesty.ie/our-work/hostage-taking-and-wanton-destruction-must-cease and again in 2001 http://nearpodcast.org/pcast/?p=1092. It was only after posting my comment that I regretted my including the word “also” as I knew straight away that you would side step the issue of illegal detention/internment and concentrate on more minor issues. I never mentioned Amnesty yet you chose to bring it up, erroneously as well. The Red Cross have indeed visited Adnan but it took 18 days to find him as he is being shipped all over the place making it even harder for his family to visit him.
The one thing ( and the main point) that you failed to address is the comparableness between Adnan and Shilat in that they are both being held without trial, both were forceably kidnapped and both were/are regarded by their captors as enemy combatants. Hamas were rightly condemned for their actions and I believe you highlighted his case a number of times on here yet when the same situation happens to Adnan you seem to think that natural justice does not apply to him or his people. All you and other supporters of Israeli policy seem to do is to follow the usual policy of side stepping the issue, throwing in spurious distracting arguments or points and generally avoiding at all costs admitting that Israel’s actions are on a par with Hamas. If Israel is so sure that he is guilty of something they should prefer charges, evidence and give him a fair trial as required by Internationality Law. If he is found guilty then he should be punished in accordance with the law. Of course as I have already pointed out they won’t do that because Israel and her supporters think that they are above the law and that there is one rule for Israel and one rule for the rest of the world.
As Noam Chomsky says
Terrorism is violence carried out by them, not us.
How true
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