FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
In commemoration of Palestinian Prisoner’s Day on April 17th, prisoner solidarity events will emerge in the West Bank region of Tubas. For 8 years, the Prisoner’s Society of Tubas has been organizing such events, emphasizing the plight of Palestinian prisoners within Israel’s unjust legal system. Israel is holding approximately 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners behind bars.
On April 12th, a “Stop Movement” action will bring the whole of Tubas to a halt for 10 minutes. Ziad, from the Prisoner’s Society, says that “everything in Tubas will halt. The traffic, the pedestrians, the shops, even time itself. This action will grab thousands of Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals and bind them to the struggle of the Palestinian prisoners.”
On April 15th, a solidarity football match between the Tubas and Askar Camp teams will be held in honor of the prisoners. Representatives are planning to dedicate the match to the political prisoners with speeches and literature. The solidarity match kicks off at 16:30.
On April 17th, Palestinians have organized a solidarity strike to be held in front of the Red Cross building. Representatives, family, and friends of prisoners will rally and give speeches. Ziad said that “families will be demanding better conditions for the prisoners and stronger visitation rights.” After the rally at the Red Cross, the Prisoner’s Committee are planning to give a three hour tour “where internationals can visit the families of the prisoners and hear firsthand about the lives and inhumane conditions of the Palestinian political prisoners,” said Ziad.
Of the 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners being held captive by Israel, according to Stop the Wall, 450 are children and teenagers, 125 are women. Held in “administrative detention” are 1,050 Palestinians, which means they have not been charged with any crime and can be jailed for up to 6 months with the detention renewable indefinitely. According to the Prisoner’s Society, 186 Palestinians have died in the 27 Israeli-run prisons. Groups like the Prisoner’s Committee of Tubas strive to release these facts to the international community.
The Brighton-Tubas Solidarity Delegation has been active in the Tubas region. International and Israeli solidarity groups are expected to join in the events.
For more information, contact:
Fathy (Stop the Wall), 0599-352-266
Mahmoud Sawaftah (Society) 0599765720
Polly Wingfield (Brighton), 0525029691
ISM Media Office, 0599-943-157