Khader Adnan is set to begin his 57th day on hunger strike, and is determined to fast until death. Speaking today from his prison cell, where he is shackled to his bed, Khader delivered the following statement:
“I started my battle offering my soul to God almighty and adamant to go ahead until righteousness triumphs over falsehood. I am defending my dignity and my people’s dignity and not doing this in vain.
"The Israeli occupation has gone to extremes against our people, especially prisoners. I have been humiliated, beaten, and harassed by interrogators for no reason, and thus I swore to God I would fight the policy of administrative detention to which I and hundreds of my fellow prisoners fell prey,” Adnan wrote.His letter, delivered by Jalal Abu Wasil, a lawyer from the Palestinian ministry of prisoners affairs who visited him in hospital, also highlighted that Adnan refused to be examined by doctors.
“Here I am in a hospital bed surrounded with prison wardens, handcuffed, and my foot tied to the bed. The only thing I can do is offer my soul to God as I believe righteousness and justice will eventually triumph over tyranny and oppression.”
“I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of their simplest human rights while the world and international community look on,"
"It is time the international community and the UN support prisoners and force the State of Israel to respect international human rights and stop treating prisoners as if they were not humans.Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement today where they called on Israel to either release Khader or charge him with an offence.
“Israel should immediately end its unlawful administrative detention of Adnan and charge or release him,”Support for Khader has come from across the world, with demonstrations been held in many towns and cities. In Gaza and the West Bank, dozens of Palestinians have embarked on a hunger strike in solidarity with Khader.
“He may be approaching death from his hunger strike, and yet Israel is chaining him to his hospital bed without bothering to even charge him with any wrongdoing,”
A video message of support and solidarity has come from a former Irish Hunger Striker. Tommy McKearney went 53 days without food in 1980, and was close to death before ending his fast. He knows only too well the difficulties facing Khadner, and has appealed for the international community to put pressure on the authorities to release him.
Click on the following link and watch Tommy's plea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1iwWZJPl_k
In 1981 Bobby Sands died after 66 days on hunger strike. A trust set up in Bobby's name has now highlighted Khader's case:
http://www.bobbysandstrust.com/archives/2527
Today, hundreds gathered at the entrance to the Ofer prison and military court, where Palestinians are tried and imprisoned by Israel. 16 people were injured by rubber-coated bullets shot by Israeli forces, and four were arrested during protests.
An on line petition has been set up, and people from all over the world have signed to show their support and to call for his release:
http://signon.org/sign/khader-adnans-life-at-1?source=s.tw&r_by=2470434
Khader has now entered a critical stage in his hunger strike, where his death could come in a matter of hours. According to a 2006 study by the British Medical Association, during the 1980 and 1981 hunger strikes in Northern Ireland, death generally occurred between 55 and 75 days. In general, the final stage of a hunger strike occurs between 45 to 75 days due to cardiovascular collapse or severe arrhythmias.
Please do what you can to save Khader Adnan's life. Contact the following people and demand that they intervene and save his life:
Please FAX to EU Court of Human Rights (which does not accept emails):
+ 33 (0)3 88 41 27 30
Please EMAIL to the below:
Secretary General Ban Ki-moonUnited NationsNew York, NY 10017 USA
tel: 212-963-5012
fax: 212-963-7055 FAX !!!Email: ecu@un.org
Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations Office and Specialized Institutions in GenevaAvenue de la Paix 1-31202 GenevaFax: +41 22 716 05 55,Email: mission-israel@geneva.mfa.gov.il
Write to Israeli Embassies and Consulates in your own country. A directory of Israeli embassies can be found on the website of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the following link:http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Sherut/IsraeliAbroad
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