Palestinian prisoners stage 1-day hunger strike to back starving fellows

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-2-19 19:24:19

Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails staged a one-day hunger strike on Tuesday to show solidarity with their six fellows who have been on hunger strike for months.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoner Club said that as many as 800 prisoners in three jails are partaking in the hunger strike.

"This move aims at putting pressure on the Israel Prison Service because it deals slowly with the issues of the hunger- striking prisoners," the club said in a statement.

The six Palestinian prisoners, who have been held administratively for months, have been starving since last year demanding Israel either to convict or release them. The administrative detention allows Israel to keep the prisoners without a trail, often based on secret evidences.

Two of the six prisoners, Ayman Al-Sharawneh and Samer Issawi, have been fasting since July and August respectively.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian leadership commended "the steadfastness of the prisoners in the Israeli prisons, especially the hunger strikers."

"President Mahmoud Abbas has given a priority to the issue of the prisoners on his agenda," the Palestinian presidency said in a statement.

Posted in: Mid-East

blog comments powered by Disqus