No laughing matter: Palestinian clown held on administrative detention

A Palestinian clown is still being held on administrative detention by Israel.

Mohammed Faisal Abu Sakha was arrested while on his way to work at the Palestinian Circus School on 14 December. The reasons behind the 23-year-old’s subsequent detention have still not been revealed.

Addameer, the legal aid organisation representing Abu Sakha, said he was crossing a military checkpoint in the West Bank when Israeli soldiers boarded his bus to check passengers’ identification cards. After checking Abu Sakha’s, the soldiers told him to step off the bus. They pointed their weapons at him, threatening to shoot him if he made a move.

A spokesperson for the Israeli army told Al Jazeera that he was arrested “due to the danger he posed to the security of the region”, noting the case was based on “confidential information”.

Time magazine said the authorities accuse him of involvement with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. A claim he and his legal team deny.

It has now been five months since the start of his administrative detention. His supporters have shared this video online to garner support for him: