Two Brothers From Ma’sara Still Imprisoned

Two Brothers From Ma’sara Still Imprisoned

Hasan and Muhammed Brajiya remain imprisoned following their arrest at a May Day demonstration in al-Ma’sara. The Ma'sara arrests, along with the killing of Basem Abu Rahma in Bil’in and the recent injury of dozens of other Palestinians at demonstrations, are part of a wider crackdown against Palestinian villages protesting against the Wall.

Mahmoud Zwahre, Mustafa Fawagreh and ‘Azmi Sheukhe were released after spending two weeks in prison. During all three court hearings, the mere fact that the Occupation forces did not have charges to press against the prisoners was reason enough for the judges to extend their imprisonment several times and demand 50,000 NIS in exchange for their freedom.

Immediate pressure must be brought to secure the release of the Brajiya brothers and to scrap any further fines, which ultimately serve to fund this unjust legal system.

Further, given that mistreatment and torture in Israeli jails is common, the two remaining prisoners remain at risk. According to testimony from one of the released prisoners:

“The days of the worst humiliation [were in prison]…especially when they counted us. They wanted us to sit on our knees, putting our hands on our backs and bending down our heads. We were wearing special clothes, and there was no way to talk and no way to move. Also, the food they give you has bad or expired and no medical treatment besides aspirin. Because of this, we would go on a [hunger] strike. When they came to negotiate, we demanded that we be treated as humans…”

We call on international solidarity and human rights organizations to act immediately to bring attention to this case and advocate for the release of the remaining prisoners by:

-Bringing the story to the attention of local and national media outlets

-Urging consular representatives and other governmental figures to advocate for the release of the prisoners

The Ma’sara prisoners, however, represent only a few of the 11,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons. More than 800 are being held in “administrative detention”, meaning that they are imprisoned (indefinitely) without charge. To hold Israel accountable and achieve an end to the large scale repression and mass imprisonment of Palestinians:

International solidarity must continue to build up an effective BDS campaign to bring about an end to the occupation and the restoration of Palestinian rights.

ENDS

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