Tag: Bail

Free Mahmoud Abujoad!

29th November 2015 | International Solidarity Movement, Nablus team | Huwwara, occupied Palestine

UPDATED: 05.01.2016

Congratulations! With 420 US dollars collected we have now reached a third of the amount needed to cover the costs of the lawyer, who is representing Mahmoud in the Israeli court. However, we still have to collect 867 US dollars.

Please, keep sharing the campaign and encourage the people who care to donate through PayPal on our website, every contribution matters!

Free Mahmoud!

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UPDATED: 28.12.2015

So far, 310 dollars have been collected. We are still far away from the 1287 dollars we need to cover the costs of the lawyer, Khaled Al Araaj, who will be representing Mahmoud in the Israeli court. Please continue your kind donations!

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Palestinian human rights activist and community supporter Mahmoud Abujoad, from the Deishah refugee camp in Bethlehem is still in prison waiting to be reunited with his wife and family! Mahmud was arrested on September 9th 2015  whilst traveling with his newly wedded wife to Jordan on a family holiday. He is being charged by the occupation authorities under allegations of throwing stones at a demonstration against Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge” massacre in Gaza, more than a year ago.  A  military judged ruled to release him on bail and his loved ones gathered the money that was needed with your help. However, the military prosecution appealed and the decision to release him was overturned as an act of collective punishment.

Newly married Mahmoud Abujoad and his wife Sireen

Military Judge Lt. Colonol Shmuel Keidar said in his decision “ I believe that the court can deviate from the micro-considerations regarding the defendant himself and to include considerations of general deterrent, considering the wide population in the area. Because of these things I believe it is not wrong to use the the reason of general deterrent straightaway or for detention and should express it as much as the situation needs. For all of these reasons I accept to keep him until the end of proceedings.”

Now, Mahmoud and his family and friends are appealing for support for 5,000 NIS (1,287 US$) for the costs of the lawyer, Khaled Al Araaj, who will be representing Mahmoud. Please donate through PayPal on our website, every contribution matters!

Free Mahmoud!

Mahmoud and his wife Sireen, married just three months at the time of Mahmoud’s arrest in Jordan by Israeli authorities.

UPDATE – Freedom for international activists!

30th October 2012 | International Solidarity Movement, West Bank

UPDATE: 2nd November 2012

Great news – Elyana and the other international activist have been released! Thank you so much to everyone who made a donation to make this possible.

The judge ruled that their detention and the attempted deportation was illegal which sets an excellent precedent we hope to carry in future cases. Israeli authorities must be shown that they do not have a license to deport activists with impunity. Elyana and the other activist are still fighting their case and will be called back to court in the coming days.

“Being inside I found myself wondering, “What does it really mean to be free?” Are we ever free, or do we just forget the inherent oppression of this culture when we don’t have the metal bars in our face to remind us? For the Palestinians perhaps it is not so easy to forget when there are reminders (if not literally behind bars) at every checkpoint, every military Jeep, every Israeli flag, every wall, every map that shows (or rather does not show) the disappearance of their beloved country. Now that I am on the outside I find myself wondering, “What will it take for Palestine to be free?” –Elyana Belle

 

PLEASE DONATE – www.palsolidarity.org/donate

Previous reports on the 2 Internationals’ arrests:
https://palsolidarity.org/2012/10/urgent-funds-needed-international-activists-threatened-with-illegal-deportation/
https://palsolidarity.org/2012/10/bassem-tamimi-injured-and-arrested-with-3-others-at-boycott-israel-protest/

A judge today gave a verdict that two international activists should not be deported, deeming illegal the decision by Israeli police to hand them over to immigration authorities despite the fact that another judge had ordered them to be released.

Elyana and the other activist will be freed on Thursday – if we can raise the 10,000 shekel bail for them (€1984/£1600/$2570). As well as needing these funds urgently, there are also extensive legal fees to be paid for the two activists (around 14000 NIS/€2780/£2240/$3600). Because of this, once more we need your help with a donation. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated already, but this is a continual battle. The Israeli system of deporting activists without charge must be challenged legally if it is to end.

Palestinian demonstration organizer Bassem Tamimi, is not as lucky as the two international activists – he is not free and is facing a jail sentence of likely more than two years. It is hoped that the judge’s decision to free the two activists, who are from the US and Poland, will help in Bassem’s case as he is facing the same charges – a legal precendent for this occurred in Kufr Qaddoum recently.

Elyana has been threatened with solitary confinement during her time in immigration detention and has been mistreated physically and verbally by guards. She said today “I really see now the sharing of this struggle. This is a fight for all of us – Palestinian, Israeli, American, Italian, British, whatever. We are all fighting against this system of oppression.”

Please help us in this struggle with a donation today – www.palsolidarity.org/donate

In Solidarity, ISM Palestine

Israeli prison industrial complex in motion

by Lisa

30 October 2011 | International Solidarity Movement West Bank

During a settler tour around the old city in Hebron on Saturday, where dozens of Israelis were guided around in a sort of parade, a Palestinian man named Yousef Salim Issa Al Batch, passed by and was stopped by Israeli police. He had a small fruit knife in his pocket and had forgotten his ID. As a result he was arrested and taken to the police station at the Kiryat Arba settlement at 4:15 PM.

Earlier in the day Al Batch had been cutting apples with a small knife and forgot to take it out of his pocket. When stopped by the police he was asked for his ID. He did not have it with him, and so, Al Batch called his mother to ask her to give him the ID number. The officer who had stopped him suggested that this would be acceptable so long as Yousef  had not been in any trouble in the past. If he did have a previous record with Israelis, they would have to bring him to the police station.

Although Al Batch has never been arrested before and never been in trouble, the police officer decided to bring him to the police station anyways.

Al Batch was released at 8:30 PM after his cousin paid 1,000 shekels in cash to the police.

His cousin, Amer, called International Solidarity Movement on Sunday evening and said with an anxious voice:

“This is not normal, I think it’s pocket money for the police men”.

 

Lisa is an activist with International Solidarity Movement (name has been changed).