Palestine Chronicle Staff
A senior United Nations official yesterday expressed deep concern about the deteriorating health of a Palestinian hunger striker, Bilal Kayed. Kayed started an open-ended hunger strike to protest his detention without charge or trial in Israeli jails after serving a 14.5-year prison sentence.
“I am deeply concerned about the deteriorating health of Bilal Kayed,” said Robert Piper, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance and Development Aid in the occupied Palestinian territories, in a statement commenting on Israel’s administrative detention law, which allows for the detaining of Palestinians indefinitely, without a charge or a trial.
Kayed has been on a hunger strike for 68 days, and remains shackled to his hospital bed.
.@UN_Piper statement on #Israel's continued practice of admin. detention – #BilalKayed – https://t.co/wXdck7JOgo pic.twitter.com/nb7TqT37fc
— UNSCO (@UNSCO_MEPP) August 20, 2016
Dozens of Palestinians joined the hunger strike to support Kayed, and international solidarity in support of him has been mounting.
“Six other detainees including journalist, Omar Nazzal, are also on hunger strike in protest against their administrative detention and prolonged solitary confinement. A further 100 Palestinian prisoners in prisons across Israel have undertaken hunger strikes in solidarity,” added the UN official.
Dozens of Palestinians have gone on hunger strikes previously to protest Israel’s administrative detention law. Many of them gained their freedom following lengthy hunger strikes, and others were rearrested after being released from prison.
(PalestineChronicle.com)
