End the rumors: Samer Issawi will not be released on March 6, continues hunger strike

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Contrary to rumors circulating widely on the internet through Twitter and Facebook, Samer Issawi will NOT be released on March 6. This was confirmed by a telephone call between Abbas Hamideh of the Free Samer Issawi campaign and Samer’s sister Shireen.

 

It is true that the Israeli Magistrates Court in Jerusalem today sentenced Samer al Issawi for 8 months beginning from 7 July 2012. There are however other Israeli charges, and no release date has been set. Samer Issawi will continue his hunger strike.

 

Abbas Hamideh: “According to Shireen Issawi, Samer Issawi will not be released March 6! There are other pending “charges” by the military court. Today’s verdict has nothing to do with the other military court charges. Samer’s hunger strike continues until freedom or martyrdom.”

 

Today’s sentence is in addition to the possible sentence of the Israeli military court under Article 186 of Military Order 1651 (cancelling early releases) which allows a special Israeli military committee, consisting of three military judges, to re-arrest prisoners that were released in the exchange deal of October 2011. These are released prisoners who Israel considers to have broken the terms of their release agreement and the special Israeli committee can reimpose the remainder of their original sentence. In Samer al-Issawi’s case this is 20 years. Samer is on hunger strike because of his arrest.

 

Today, outside of Ofer prison, hundreds of Palestinians protested for the release of Issawi, resulting in a multitude of injuries by the aggression of the Israeli occupation forces. Notably, iconic hunger striker Khader Adnan was among the injured, reportedly suffering serious teargas inhalation injuries. He is being treated at the hospital. Another well-known activist and blogger, Abir Kopty, was also injured when a teargas canister fired by the Israelis struck her head. Reportedly, she is in a good condition, after the treatment of her wounds.

 

Today’s news does nothing to diminish activist determination to continue all types of action for the release of Samer Issawi, Ayman Sharawneh, Tariq Qa’adan and Jaafar Izzedine. Twitter actions shall continue to be held at the usual time ( 2pm EST/7 pm GMT/ 9pm Palestine time ), and there is no doubt that unrest in Palestine will also continue, with the same dedication and determination that Samer Issawi’s continued hunger strike is displaying. Until freedom, until justice, and until the end of the inhumane system of administrative detention, resistance against these violations of human rights will continue.

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Doc Jazz

Doc Jazz is a Palestinian musician, currently based in the United Arab Emirates. He was born and raised in the Netherlands, which is where he started his first musical endeavors. He works full-time as a surgeon, and produces his songs in his free time. He usually does all the instruments and vocals in his recordings by himself. His music, which covers a wide variety of genres ranging from funky pop and jazz all the way to rap and Arabic music, has been featured on many media outlets in the Netherlands, in the Middle East, and elsewhere. The Palestinian cause plays a big role in the themes of his songs.

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