Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association calls upon its allies, friends, grassroots, civil society organizations, activists, and people of conscience to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and join Addameer’s global campaign titled “In the Case of the Palestinian People vs. Military Courts” #AgainstMilitaryCourts
Over five decades, the Israeli military occupation has utilized and reinforced its judicial, executive, and legislative powers to maintain control over the Palestinian people. The Israeli military judicial system has proven to become an inseparable part of the Israeli apartheid apparatus exercising unjust and illegal practices against Palestinians. The illegality of Israeli military courts goes beyond the serious violations of the right to a fair trial. The basis of their establishment and jurisdiction itself is a grave breach of international standards and principles. It is also a judicial system inherently bound up with the use of ill-treatment and torture against Palestinians, especially during the interrogation process. Consequently, seeking to better the fair trial standards in Israeli military courts is redundant; therefore, all efforts should be put towards ending the trial of Palestinian civilians in Israeli military courts and the abolition of Israeli occupation itself.
In the absence of international accountability, Israel enjoys a culture of impunity that systematically subjects Palestinian detainees to numerous violations of their fundamental rights under international law and international humanitarian law. Some practices constitute grave violations of the Fourth Geneva Conventions and its additional protocol of 1977, as well as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Now more than ever is a time for the international community to abide by its responsibilities under international law and uphold its legal and moral commitment to reclaim and foster the protection of Palestinian human rights within the larger framework of the right to self-determination. The international community must end its continuous silence and hold the Israeli occupation accountable for the various grave breaches of international human rights law and humanitarian law to maintain international peace and justice for the sake of the Palestinian people, including Palestinian political prisoners, quest for liberty, justice, and dignity.
DEMANDS
We demand that Israel, as an Occupying Power, end the trial of Palestinian civilians before Israeli military courts, and in the meantime, all Palestinian political prisoners and detainees awaiting trial in this illegal system be granted their full rights under international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law. At the foremost, the right to a fair trial and the right not to be subjected to torture. Also, we demand the immediate release of all Palestinian political prisoners and detainees held arbitrarily.
TAKE ACTION!
You can join Addameer’s campaign against Israeli military courts by using Addameer’s written and visual campaign material, including campaign paper, case studies, and poster. As well as Addameer’s infographics, statements, reports, and statistics on Palestinian political prisoners to:
- Organize an #AgainstMilitaryCourts event in your school, university, or college campuses, or a mass day of mobilization in your city to highlight the Israeli military judicial system’s grave violation of Palestinian human rights;
- Write to your local elected officials and members of parliament to call upon the Israeli government to end Israeli military courts’ grave violations and to grant Palestinian detainees their full rights under international law;
- Send a letter to an Israeli official in English calling them to immediately release all Palestinian political prisoners and detainees held arbitrarily without charge, end grave violations of Palestinians’ right to a fair trial, and hold perpetrators of torture accountable for their crimes against Palestinian detainees.
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SIGN, JOIN AND SHARE OUR PETITION calling the ICC Office of the Prosecutor to look into and investigate the war crime of intentionally denying Palestinian prisoners their right to a fair trial as part of the Israeli apartheid regime, and further call for the end of prosecuting Palestinian civilians in Israeli military courts
CONTACTS
Military Advocate General
Brigadier General Sharon Afek
Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel
Fax: +972 3 569 4526
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Judge Advocate General
Commander of the IOF in the West Bank region
Major-General Yaniv Alaluf
GOC Central Command
Military Post 01149, Battalion 877
Israel Defense Forces, Israel
Fax: +972 2 530 5741, +972 2 530 5724
Salutation: Dear Major-General Yaniv Alaluf
Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan
Kiryat Hamemshala
PO Box 18182
Jerusalem 91181, Israel
Fax: +972 2 584 7872
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Minister