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Amnesty International: Israel must release all administrative detainees

May 27, 2014 at 10:31 am

According to Arab media reports, Amnesty International on Monday called upon the Israeli occupation authorities to either prosecute Palestinian administrative prisoners for internationally recognised criminal offenses or release them immediately.

About 100 Palestinian administrative prisoners have engaged in an open-ended hunger strike since 24 April to protest being locked up without any charges or trial for an unlimited time. Alresalah Press news website quotes a statement in which the international human rights organisation called upon Israel to immediately stop this practice, known as administrative detention.

Based on information published by the administration of the Israeli prisons at the end of April, there are currently 191 Palestinians in administrative detention, which is a kind of arbitrary detention that fails to fulfil the international criteria for a just trial.

The rights organisation reportedly described this Israeli practice as “inhumane and degrading” treatment that Palestinian politicians, parliamentarians and academics are forced to endure.

The administrative detainees are imprisoned by a military order, without trial or any charges ever brought against them. The order lasts for six months, but can be renewed indefinitely. Such detention orders are issued based on “secret information” that is disclosed to neither the detainees nor their lawyers.

Since 1967, thousands of Palestinians have experienced this kind of detention under the Israeli occupation.

Meanwhile, Alresalah Press also noted that the Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Dameer is reporting that the Israeli prison services have started to put systematic pressure on the hunger strikers, as well as those in solidarity with them, in order to stop their strike.

The organisation said the occupation authorities are punishing them with solitary confinement and preventing detainees from contacting their families or lawyers.