Hurryyat: Occupation Authorities Re-Sentencing Liberated Prisoners Disrespecting International Conventions and Blatant Immorality

The Center for the Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights (Hurryyat) condemns the reimprisonment of 73 ex-detainees liberated in the Shalit Swap Deal “the devotion of the free,” and condemns the sentencing of 45 of them including Neal Barghouti, Samer Essawi, Mahdi Al-Assi, and Khalid Makhamra. This operation marks a blatant violation of the terms of the deal, and challenges the will of the Palestinian people and its leadership. It also oversteps the initiatives of the Republic of Egypt who fostered this deal, and flagrantly violates international conventions.

The practices of the occupation authorities still violates the prisoners’ movement and their right to freedom, exploiting their cause as a bargain or for political blackmail.

Hurryyat added that the discriminatory laws practiced by the occupation are part of a larger unjust historical context thrust upon the Palestinian people, including the prisoners. A wide popular and official movement is thus needed in all its political, diplomatic and legal dimensions to expose the occupation policies and urge the international community along with the United Nations to undertake their moral and legal commitments to the cause of prisoners. Upon the UN recognition of Palestine as a non-Member Observer State, this need becomes more essential in pressuring Israel into annulling the oppressive laws of the occupation authorities issued against the prisoners; denying their right to immediate release while under international Humanitarian Law are supposed to be ‘protected persons’. This entails many aspects including humanitarian arrest circumstances, proper health care, release of critical health cases, in addition to prohibition of arbitrary administrative detention and the release of all administrative prisoners.

The Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights