At least 450 Palestinian detainees have been refusing to show up for their military court hearings since the beginning of the year, in protest of their unfair administrative detention, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The boycott includes hearings for the renewal of administrative detention orders as well as appeal hearings and later sessions at Israel’s Supreme Court.
1/ Right now, 500 Palestinian political prisoners are undertaking a "mass united resistance movement" against administrative detention through a boycott of Israel's military courts. Read about it in this letter penned from inside Israel's apartheid jails: https://t.co/AkFl108dB0 pic.twitter.com/DRcQSO59Mr
— PSC (@PSCupdates) February 15, 2022
Palestinian detainees say their action is a continuation of longstanding Palestinian efforts “to put an end to the unjust administrative detention practiced against our people by the occupation forces.”
Under administrative detention, Israel keeps Palestinians without charge for up to six months, a period that can be extended an infinite number of times.
Our Decision is Freedom… No to Administrative Detention: Palestinian Administrative Detainees Declare Boycott of Israeli Military Courts https://t.co/4dQqbvcpkI
— Dana El Kurd دانا الكرد (@danaelkurd) February 16, 2022
Palestinians and human rights groups say the administrative detention violates the right to due process since the evidence is withheld from prisoners while they are held for lengthy periods without being charged, tried, or convicted.
More than 4,500 Palestinian prisoners are currently held in about 17 Israeli prisons. Over 450 detainees, including women and minors, are under administrative detention.
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
