Stories from the Israeli Gulag called Palestine

From: http://www.addameer.org/sites/default/files/publications/quarterlyaddameer.apr19.vff_.pdf

Also: http://www.addameer.org/sites/default/files/publications/quarterlyaddameer.apr19.vff_.pdf


Addameer three Case Studies

1. A PRISONER'S PORTRAIT
AYMAN NASSER: THE PRICE OF DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS

Lights turn on. It’s 2 o’clock in the morning and the night isn’t over yet, but the sleep of Ayman Nasser’s family is interrupted. Israeli occupation soldiers pour into the house and go on searching each room, every closet, while military vehicles and dozens of troops take over the streets of the village of Saffa, West of Ramallah. Ayman’s wife, Haleema, along with their four children’ Ameen, 20, Naji, 18, Nadeem, 15 and Mohammad, 10, are all pushed into the living room. The Israeli commander requests everyone’s IDs and cellphones. He’d give them back later, except for Ayman’s. Ayman Nasser was born in 1970. He is a human rights defender and Addameer’s legal unit coordinator. He was arrested on 7 September 2018. 

But Ayman’s personal story with arbitrary detention goes back to his early youth. He was arrested by the occupation forces for the first time in 1992, when he was 22 years old. He was imprisoned for 6 years and was released in 1997. Upon his release, he resumed his higher studies, until he was graduated as social worker. Then in 2010, he obtained his Masters degree in social educational psychology from AlQuds University. Ayman joined Addameer in 2008 as researcher in it’s documentation unit and represented Addameer in the coalition against torture and the coalition against death penalty. During this period, Ayman also co-founded the Handala social and cultural center, of which he became chairman. The center offers educational, artistic and sports activities to the residents of Saffa, based on voluntary work. 

But the occupation’s repression against Ayman continued. In 2012, he was subjected to brutal interrogation, shackled to a chair with his hands behind his back, for 39 days. Ayman was then sentenced to 13 months in prison and fined 4000 shekels (1020 USD). He was finally released on October 21, 2013. Ayman was arrested again on 18 September 2014 upon a three months administrative detention order, which was renewed three times. He was released on 13 September 2015. Upon his last release, Ayman resumed his work at Addameer. The same year of 2015, he became addameer’s legal unit coordinator.

On 6 September 2018 at 2:00am, the Israeli occupation forces entered Saffa with dozens of troops, raided Ayman’s house and took Ayman with them. The military commander of the West Bank issued an administrative detention order of six months against Ayman, a week after his arrest. Addameer’s lawyer appealed the order on 7 January, 2019 and the Israeli military court rejected the appeal. Ayman Nasser’s administrative detention order ended on 8 March 2019. Ayman’s family and Addameer colleagues expected his release on that date. However, on 6 March 2019, two days before his expected release, the occupation authorities renewed his detention for an additional 6 months. 

Ayman’s case is not only an example of the Israeli occupation policy of administrative detention, but also an example of its systematic targeting of human rights defenders, which Addameer condemns. Human rights defenders are formally defined as persons who work peacefully for any or all of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ayman falls into that category. His strong commitment led him to stand firmly for human rights, on every occasion. “I am a human rights defender who supports the Palestinian prisoners” Ayman Nasser said, standing before the Israeli military court, on October 18, 2012, stating his unapologetic commitment to the rights of his people; “my thoughts are not secret” he said.

Case Studies The occupation's arrest of Palestinian children a targetted childhood in Jerusalem

2. CHILD ARREST AND SCHOOL DROP-OUT 

I am 14 and I live in Bier Ayoub, Silwan, Jerusalem. The Israeli Military Forces, on July the 10th 2018 at 2:00 pm, invaded my home. I was not present because I had gone to visit my grandmother. My mother called to inform me that the occupation forces came looking for me, took my clothes and detained my father until I was to turn myself in. They released him later, but I had no choice. I handed myself in next morning, July 11th. There were 3 soldiers on the door. They handcuffed and blindfolded me. I was pushed and shoved continuously. The soldiers would pull my long hair and hit my forehead on the wall. They kicked my chest, head and back while laughing and cursing at me. An interrogator asked me multiple times who had thrown the Molotov cocktail and I would constantly reply that it was not me. After a while, he left and 3 soldiers came back into the room to beat me up again. On July 12th, I was taken to the court. I showed the judge the bruises on my body, but he did nothing about it, yet he ordered for the extension of my detention for another 4 days. I received an indictment of throwing a Molotov cocktails. I was released on August 27th. The judge had ruled that I stay away from my grandmother’s home and to pay a fee of 3,000 NIS for bail. As a result, I rarely attended classes during 9th grade.


3. "THEY THREATENED MY PARENTS"

I am 17 years-old and and I live in al-Asaweya, Jerusalem. On 3 March 2018, a large number of the occupation forces came to my house at 3 am. I was asleep, but the noise of the army woke me up. They forcefully entered our house, throwing everything out of the closets. I got dressed and when I came out, I found out that the soldiers were also arresting my parents. My mother and I were transferred to Abu Ghnaim police station and put outside in the cold waiting for my dad. We were not allowed to use the bathroom, drink, or eat anything. My dad was later brought over to us, but we were not allowed to talk to each other. I was interrogated from 3 to 8 of March at Abu Ghnaim police station. Two interrogators threatened my parents to pressure me into confessing that I threw Molotov cocktails at the settlement of Harzerstoff, but I did not confess. They took me twice to the court. First, I received a detention extension for 4 days, then an indictment that was delayed until I was ruled with a sentence of 12 months. The interrogation ended on 8 March 2018. I had platinum in my right thigh due to the bullet injury that I sustained during protests against Trump’s transfer of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. The injury hurt me very much, but I was not given any pain killers. I was transferred to Majiddo prison on 23 March 2018, where conditions were better and I was given pain killers. I was finally released on the 1st of February 2019. 

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