Palestinian prisoners boycott Israeli occupation military courts

Press Release - October 03, 2002
The Imprisoned Palestinian National Movement in the Israeli Occupation Prisons calls upon all Arab and Palestinian prisoners to boycott Israeli courts refusing to recognize their legitimacy.

 

They also call upon all concerned organizations and citizens to implement actions to support them.

 

All the prisoners representative committees from all prisons and detention centers form the Imprisoned Palestinian National Movement in the Israeli Occupation Prisons. These committees have in charge to defend the prisoners’ demands before the prison administrations and to coordinate the prisoners’ actions if demands are not fulfilled. The representatives are elected by the prisoners.

 

In accordance with the Imprisoned National Movement, Marwan Barghouti was the first to act: he refused to stand up in court and closed his ears.

Tens of prisoners, approximately 30 at this time, have done the same: several refused to stand up during their hearings at the military court, others handed to the judge a letter explaining their position.

 

Prisoners have been threatened with an additional 2 years sentence for offences against the court. All pending hearings have been delayed and the follow-up actions are unknown as of yet.

 

Widespread support of this action is extremely important at this time as it is the beginning of a coordinated position against arbitrary and illegal procedures against Palestinian detainees. A first solidarity demonstration took place today, on the occasion of Marwan Barghouti’s trial, in the centre of Ramallah. Another solidarity demonstration is scheduled on Saturday at 7pm, also in the central Manara area of Ramallah.

 

 

 

A press release from The Imprisoned Palestinian National Movement in The Israeli Occupation Prisons - Announcement Number 1

 

We, the imprisoned Palestinian National Movement in Israeli occupation prisons announce our absolute objection to the indictments presented against us, as well as to the simulated trials that Israel practices against more than 8000 Palestinian prisoners. These trials aim to criminalize our national struggle and our right to resist the Israeli occupation, and to portray and treat us as terrorists. We also declare that we consider these arrests, investigations, and indictments illegal due to the illegality of occupation law in the first place. Our position on this is consistent with the Fourth Geneva Convention, according to which we should be considered prisoners of war who must not be interrogated or brought to trial, particularly those who are political leaders and elected officials.

 

Accordingly, as prisoners of war, we declare that we boycott all trials conducted by the occupation forces and call upon each prisoner to abide by this declaration, requesting lawyers of detainees to announce this decision before each court appearance.

We also ask the following:

The occupation is terrorism. The occupation army, which commits crimes against humanity everyday, and the army’s political and military symbols are those who should be brought to justice. Our struggle is both legal and legitimate according to the right of a nation to self-determination, through which we can fulfill our national right to establish our independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. Our people struggles to live in peace and security like every other nation in the world. We want peace and freedom; we do not want destruction and war.

 

 

To our people with struggling patience,

 

We, the sons of the Imprisoned Palestinian Movement in the Israeli occupation prisons send you the deepest and sincerest greetings, gratitude and appreciation for your actions to support us. Particularly at this time, when we are suffering the worst forms of humiliation and horror inflicted by the prison guards of the Israeli Minister of Defence, Uzi Landau, and the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, the renown butcher of our people in Qabia, Sabra, Chatila, Jenin, Gaza.

 

From our pain and our suffering as a result of the plight of our people, whether in Israeli occupation prisons or in the larger prisons that have become our cities and villages, we call on you, the knights of the Intifada, to fulfill your responsibilities, first before God, and second before history.

To fulfill your responsibilities to your imprisoned sisters, brothers and children in Nafha, Askelan, Ansar, Al Ramle, Hadoriym, Beer Sheva, Naqab, Megiddo;

 

To fulfill your responsibility to your daughters and sons in Telmond.

To do everything in your effort to free all detainees as one of the first priorities of our Intifada.

 

This Intifada, that would not be were it not for the blood shed by those who have been martyred, nor those thousands who have been injured, or the struggle of the prisoners and their mothers.

 

We prisoners long for the day of our release, when we can join the caravans of lions in the march for freedom and independence.

We promise you that we will continue in our path of struggle until the Zionist colonizer relinquishes our land.