ROME, July 4, 2010 (WAFA)- A petition called for pressurizing Israel to release of more than 7 thousand political Palestinians prisoners, among which more than 300 younger, and to stop Israeli repression against popular nonviolent resistance.
The appeal was launched as Israeli repression against Popular Committee’s activists for nonviolent resistance against the Wall and the Occupation still go on: Adeeb Abu Rahmah, from Bil’in Village, sentenced to two years imprisonment.
On June 30, 2010, grassroots activist Adeeb Abu Rahmah, member of the Bil’in Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlements, was sentenced by Israeli military Court to two years imprisonment, after being arrested on 10 July 2009, during a weekly demonstration in Bil’in, and after spending 11 months of detention in the Ofer military complex in the Occupied Territories.
Adeeb Abu Rahmah is a taxi-driver and he has 11 children, he’s well known for his generosity and constant presence at village of Bil’in’s weekly demonstrations against Israel's wall and for his commitment to popular nonviolent resistance, and the sentence is part of Israeli strategy to repress and criminalize popular nonviolent struggle against the Occupation and the Wall.
The sentence which condemned Adeeb state that he’s guilty to “encourage violence”, “activity against public order” and to being “present in a closed military area”, as Bil’in zone was declared every Friday from 8am to 8pm, in order to prevent weekly demonstration.
Adeeb’s case was relied on the forced confessions of four Bil’in youth – 14, 15 and 16 years old – arrested during the night’s raid by Israeli soldiers and forced to state that Adeeb told them to throw stones against the soldiers.
Adeeb Abu Rahmah’s arrest is just the latest one in a series of repressive measures implemented by Israel in order to stop the Popular nonviolent resistance through Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals massive arrests, night’s raids and criminalization of the members of the Popular Committee who leads the protests.
For the past five years the people from Bil’in have waged an ongoing struggle against the Israeli wall and the Occupation, and other villages joined his struggle, as Nil’in, Al-Masara, Budrus, Jayyus, Al-Wallaja and many others.
According to data provided by “Addameer” group and “Stop the Wall”, more than 1,566 Palestinians have been injuried and 16 have been killed between 2005 and 2009 during nonviolent demonstration in the Occupied Territories. Since 2002, in the villages of Bilin, Nilin, Al-Masara, and Budrus, 176 Palestinian citizens have been arrested, among which one of the Popular Committee’s leaders, Abdellah Abdel Rahma, for whom the release-campaign still go on, as the popular nonviolent resistance.
All the solidarity to Adeeb, who is forced to stay in an Israeli prison guilty to want to leave in freedom.
The press release said: Today, more than ever, is necessary to put pression in order to achieve the release of more than 7 thousand political Palestinians prisoners, among which more than 300 younger, and to stop Israeli repression against popular nonviolent resistance.
“Send letter of appeal for his release to Mrs Margaret Sekaggya, UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders, Riyad H Mansour, Ambassador, Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine, Daniel Carmon, Deputy Representative of Israel to the United Nations and Menachem Mazuz Israeli Attorney General, Ministry of Justice and please send this appeal to your mailing lists,” the press release concluded.
