Reported by: PressTV – Palestinians highlight the sufferings of its prisoners in Israeli jails
International seminar on rights of Palestinian political prisoners and detainees in Gaza 3-4-2012
The event, the first of its kind, was organized by “UFree Network” an international organization which highlights the suffering of Palestinian political prisoners and promotes their rights.
The conference panellists, consisting of former Palestinian and Irish political prisoners, demanded an end to Israel’s so-called “Administrative Detention” and the release of all Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
“In this international conference we aim to discuss the administrative detention of Palestinians and also their solitary confinement, which Israel is the only country that practices on Palestinian people,” said Khaled al-Mudallal of the Ufree network.
“We’ve brought together, I think, a significant force of people who will be able to raise this matter across the world in a way it has not been raised before. We have a lot of work to do and I don’t want to exaggerate it but this is the first step and a campaign which will internationalize the campaign for the freedom of the detainees,” said Gerry MacLochlainn, a Sinn Fein councilor.
International activists participating in the conference also called for the internationalization of the issue of Palestinian political prisoners and highlighting their sufferings.
“I come here in solidarity with political prisoners from Palestine who are being detained by Israel against our will and against the wishes of the people. I know there are many children from Palestinian families who are being detained at the moment by Israeli forces,” said former Irish political prisoner Charlie McMenamin.
Ex-Palestinian political prisoners, including Abdul Aziz Amro, a blind man from al-Quds (Jerusalem) who was imprisoned in Israeli jails for seven years and was finally transferred to Gaza in the latest prisoner swap deal, said more support is needed for Palestinian prisoners and events like this should be held on a regular basis.
According to Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and prisoner advocacy groups, there are currently over 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, including legislators, in Israeli jails, many of whom have been rounded up without charge or trial. Independent sources put the number of the inmates at 11,000.
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