Free Abdul Latif Gheith

Call from the North American Committee to Free Abdul Latif Gheith

Abdul Latif Gheith, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association, was placed under administrative detention at Qalandiya military checkpoint on July 29, 2004 by Israeli military authorities. Gheith, 63, joins over 700 other Palestinians imprisoned under "Administrative Detention," held without charge or trial in inhumane military prison camps. While attempting to cross Qalandiya military checkpoint, Gheith was stopped and arbitrarily detained, interrogated, transported to an illegal settlement in the West Bank, and is currently being held at Benyamin Military Detention Camp outside Ramallah. "Administrative detention," a mechanism that allows military occupying forces to imprison Palestinians without trial and under which some Palestinians have been held for over three years, has been used repeatedly to disrupt Palestinian society and deprive Palestinians of their human and civil rights. Military authorities arbitrarily detain and arrest Palestinians, requiring no explanation or accountability for their actions - and little to no recourse for the Palestinians thus imprisoned without charges or the ability to answer those charges. Gheith himself, a prominent activist in Jerusalem and the Palestinian community as a whole, and a member of the Palestinian Civil Society Committee on Jerusalem and a member of the Higher Palestinian National Committee on Political Prisoners, was arbitrarily detained in 1988 for six months, released briefly, and arbitrarily detained again in 1989 for another six months.

Abdul Latif Gheith was targeted for administrative detention because of his work with Addameer; indeed, when interrogated by a Shabak (Israeli General Security Services) officer at Qalandiya checkpoint during his arrest, he was questioned about his work at Addameer, his colleagues at Addameer, and the activities of Addameer. Thus, Gheith's detention is an attack not only on himself and upon Addameer, but on all Palestinian political prisoners. Over 7,000 Palestinian political prisoners are currently held in Zionist jails, facing severe repression and continual violation of their human rights. This action comes at a time when, beginning on August 15 and August 18, these prisoners plan to launch an open-ended hunger strike within the Zionist jails and prisons against the intolerable and inhumane conditions under which they are held. The arrest of Abdul Latif Gheith is an attempt to disrupt the work of Addameer and the organizations of Palestinian society that provide support and assistance to thousands of Palestinian political prisoners, suffering for their opposition to occupation and oppression.

The arrest of Abdul Latif Gheith and the practice of "administrative detention" are insidious and damaging violations of Palestinian human rights. They are brutal practices of a military occupation that has targeted the occupied population for continual subjection to arbitrary detention and imprisonment. They are also linked to the ongoing imprisonment of thousands of Palestinians, held as political prisoners to a military occupation. This attempt to deprive Palestinian political prisoners of their support networks and organizations will not, and cannot, succeed. It is imperative that people of conscience internationally act to free Abdul Latif Gheith, end administrative detention, and support
Palestinian political prisoners.

ACT NOW:

*Below is a sample letter. Send this letter to the email addresses listed - to U.S. President George Bush president@whitehouse.gov, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell secretary@state.gov, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan ecu@un.org, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights webadmin.hchr@unog.ch, the Council of the European Union public.info@consilium.eu.int and copy to Amnesty International amnestyis@amnesty.org and Human Rights Watch hrwnyc@hrw.org. Send this sample letter or write your own to demand that Abdul Latif Gheith be freed now!

*Organize actions and events on August 14-15 in support of the Palestinian political prisoners' hunger strike and to draw attention to the plight of Palestinian prisoners and their families. Organize meetings, delegations, rallies and public information events. Ensure that the voices of Palestinian political prisoners are heard by the world!

SAMPLE LETTER

To: president@whitehouse.gov, secretary@state.gov, ecu@un.org, webadmin.hchr@unog.ch, public.info@consilium.eu.int, amnestyis@amnesty.org, hrwnyc@hrw.org

Subject: Administrative Detention of Abdul Latif Gheith and Prisoners' Rights

To Whom it May Concern,

I am writing to express my outrage at the administrative detention and imprisonment of Palestinian prisoners' advocate Abdul Latif Gheith, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Addameer, Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association by the Israeli military. Gheith has been charged with no crime and has been provided no trial; nonetheless, he is being held at a military detention camp outside Ramallah, like over 700 other Palestinian administrative detainees.

The detention of Abdul Latif Gheith is an attack on Palestinian human rights and the Palestinian prisoners' rights movement. An active member of the Palestinian community, Gheith is being held under administrative detention in an attempt to disrupt Palestinian society and the work of prisoners' support associations such as Addameer. The practice of administrative detention is a violation of Palestinian human rights, and should be ended immediately. Abdul Latif Gheith and all Palestinian administrative detainees must be freed immediately, and no further administrative detentions should take place.

This detention comes also at a time when thousands of Palestinian political prisoners are preparing an open-ended hunger strike to protest the inhumane conditions under which they are held. It is imperative that the violation of these prisoners' rights end immediately. All people, governments, and associations of conscience in the world must act now to stop human rights abuses by the Israeli military regime against Palestinians, including and especially those held as political prisoners and those held in administrative detention. All nations concerned with the protection of human rights should terminate aid to Israel and all international organizations and bodies should act swiftly to protect the rights of Palestinian prisoners and administrative detainees.

Sincerely,