Judge Orders Professor To Remain In Prison Without Charge

Dr. Yousef Abdul Haq

Is this the actions of the "only democracy" in the Middle East?

 The Israel military court has extended administrative detention for two months in addition to three months already detained for civil rights lawyer Dr. Yousef Abdul Haq, a lecturer at An-Najah National University and the Cultural Coordinator for the Tanweer Palestinian Cultural Enlightenment Forum, currently detained in Ofer Prison near Ramallah.

 Yousef Abdul Haq had been arrested. 7/11/2011 in his home at two o'clock in the morning suffering from illness requiring medicine constantly forcing his transfer to a hospital immediately after his arrest at Ramle. He was sentenced to two months in administrative detention immediately.

This arbitrary administrative detention is legally incompatible with the most basic international standards of human rights, because it is without any specific charge against the prisoner, it also depends on the military file and secret evidence which cannot be seen by the detainee or defense lawyers; this file is prepared by the Israel intelligence service collecting intelligence information illegally.

This type of detention is internationally banned not only for the specific category of the Palestinian people; and in addition includes lawmakers in the Palestinian Legislative Council, members of local councils, university students, political activists, academics, trade unionists and even women and children.

The imposition of administrative detention by Article 111 of the military state of emergency imposed by the British colonial authorities of Palestine in September of the year 1945 is illegal on the grounds that Article 43 of the Hague international agreement of 1907 prohibits an occupying power to change the legislative reality of the country occupied.

Administrative detention is the endless suffering of the prisoners because they may de detained for a decade which plays on the nerves and psychology of the detainee and their family based on the expectation that the next decision will be an extension of detention.

The International Solidarity Foundation for Human Rights received from the Israel Court of Ofer that the number of additional administrative detentions issued by the Israel military governor reached a total of 5971 since the beginning of the year 2004 until the end of 2010.

We in the Tanweer Enlightenment Forum, call for the release of our colleague Dr. Yousef immediately from behind bars, and we hold the Government responsible for the conditions of Israel's occupation, in respect to his health. We demand the end of the administrative detentions which are contrary to international law, and contravenes the human and ethical values of civilization.

On this occasion, we declare our solidarity with the prisoner hero Khader Adnan, who is continuing his hunger strike battle in his 55th day to end the administrative detentions.

We also call on international institutions and the Arab and local media to expose the policy of administrative detention. We uphold the work of a united front for the release of Palestinian militants including lawyers, members of the Legislative Council, academics, students, children and women. We call for the end of administrative detentions forever.

 http://www.imemc.org/article/62971