Occupation courts rejected an appeal by Samer Issawi of his detention on June 26; he is currently being held until June 29 while occupation military prosecutors pursue charges of “membership in a prohibited organization” and violation of the terms of his release in the October 2011 Wafa al-Ahrar prisoner exchange, in which 1027 Palestinian prisoners were freed in exchange for captured occupation soldier Gilad Shalit. Click here to take action on Issawi’s and his fellow prisoners’ case.
Samer Issawi engaged in an eight-month hunger strike, securing his release following worldwide pressure in December 2013 after he was accused of leaving Jerusalem municipal borders, allegedly in violation of his release; the occupation authorities had sought to re-impose a 20-year sentence.
He was re-arrested on June 23 as part of a series of mass raids and arrests throughout the West Bank, particularly targeting former prisoners. Over 566 Palestinians have been captured by occupation military forces as part of this campaign over the past two weeks.
Salem military court also postponed on June 25 considering the cases of 21 former prisoners, also released in the prisoner exchange and captured during the series of occupation raids in the past weeks. The court was adjourned to consider their files until early July.
On Thursday, Ofer military court postponed six more re-arrested prisoners’ cases: Nael Barghouthi, Rabee Barghouthi, Ibrahim al-Masri, Ibrahim Shalash, Muayad al-Jallad and Nayif Radwan – until July 14-16. Nael Barghouthi served 33 years behind bars and was the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails when he was released in the prisoner exchange.
Fouad Khuffash of the Ahrar Center said that their lawyers are working by all means to counter the claims of the Shin Bet, which is seeking to reimpose the prisoners’ original sentences en masse and invalidate the prisoner exchange. Occupation military courts have already announced that seven prisoners’ release is “revoked.”
