URGENT ACTION

NGO WORKER’S DETENTION RENEWED

On 10 March 2019, the Israeli Ofer Military Court in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) approved the renewal of Ayman Nasser’s administrative detention for further six months. Since 17 September 2018, Ayman Nasser has been detained without charge or trial in Ofer prison, near Ramallah, in the West Bank. Ayman is the legal unit coordinator of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Right Association, a Palestinian NGO. His detention is now expected to end on 7 September 2019.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Major-General Nadav Padan 
GOC Central Command
Military Post 01149
Battalion 877
Fax: + 972 2 530 5741
Email: 1111@idf.gov.il
ContactUs@mail.idf.il  
Dear Major-General Nadav Padan,

On 6 March 2019, your office of the GOC Central Command issued another six-month administrative detention order against Ayman Nasser, which was approved by the Ofer Military Court, near the city of Ramallah in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) on 10 March. Ayman Nasser is the legal unit coordinator of the Palestinian human rights NGO Addameer,

Amnesty International has continuously expressed its grave concerns that the system of administrative detention as practised by Israel violates the human rights of those held under it. The use of this system may result in arbitrary detention, and if prolonged or repeated can amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.

Amnesty International is gravely concerned for the health of Ayman Nasser, who was beaten and suffered from tear-gas suffocation during the Ofer prison raid that took place on 21 January 2019. According to his family, Ayman Nasser suffers from health issues including inflammation in his colon and severe back pain due to a herniated disk in the lower back. Ayman needs regular medical treatment and checks by specialized doctors.

I urge you to immediately release Ayman Nasser, and all others who have been placed under administrative detention, unless they are promptly charged with an internationally recognizable crime and tried in proceedings that adhere to international fair trial standards. I urge you to immediately provide Ayman Nasser access to adequate healthcare, including treatment by specialized doctors, and to take immediate steps to end the practice of administrative detention.

Yours sincerely

Additional information

On 9 September 2018, Ayman Nasser was arrested by Israeli forces during an overnight raid at his home in the village of Saffa, near Ramallah in the OPT. Ayman Nasser, a 48-year-old father of four, has been working for Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Right Association since 2008, first as a researcher and later as the legal unit coordinator. Ayman is also the chairperson and co-founder of the Handalah Cultural Centre in the village of Saffa, which was established in 1998 to provide the youth of the village with dance, sports, art and educational programs. He holds a BA degree in Social Work and a graduate degree in educational Socio-Psychology from al-Quds University in Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem.
From 1992 to 1997, Ayman Nasser served a five-year prison sentence imposed by an Israeli military court where he was charged with multiple offences including membership of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a left-wing political party with an armed wing that is banned by Israel. Since his release he has been arrested two times, on 15 October 2012, when he was sentenced after a plea bargain to 13 months in prison, and on 18 September 2014, when he spent a year in administrative detention. 
According to Addameer, on 20 and 21 January 2019, the Israel Special Forces unit raided Section 17, 11 and 15 of Ofer prison, injuring over 150 Palestinian prisoners. Ayman Nasser, who is held in section 11, was beaten and suffered from tear-gas suffocation. According to Addameer, Israeli forces used batons, dogs, tasers, tear gas bombs and rubber-coated metal bullets inside closed prison rooms, endangering prisoners’ lives. The raids resulted in a large-scale damage and confiscation of prisoners’ belongings by the heavily armed units. 
On 2 January 2019, Israel’s minister for Strategic Affairs and Public Security, Gilad Erdan, issued a statement vowing to make prisons conditions worse for Palestinian prisoners and detainees as a means to deter terrorism. The statement was seemingly a public relations stunt to gain support ahead of the Israeli elections. Since then, multiple violent prison raids have been carried out by heavily armed units using batons, dogs and tasers. Prisoners have suffered injuries and had their belongings confiscated. These attacks have led to ongoing protests inside prisons. These violent raids are also part of a deliberately cruel mission to terrorize prisoners and make life more difficult for them. 
Palestinians held by Israel are regularly subjected to abuse, including torture and other ill-treatment, during arrest and interrogation. They are detained in poor conditions and are not provided with adequate access to medical care they require. Many prisoners are also denied family visits. According to the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), since 2001, more than 1,000 complaints of torture and ill-treatment have been filed with the Israeli legal authorities by victims of torture, but no criminal investigations were ever launched. According to Addameer, there are more than 5,440 prisoners being held in Israeli prisons, including 497 administrative detainees and 209 children. 

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: English, Hebrew or Arabic
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 25 April 2019 
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PREFERRED PRONOUN: Ayman Nasser (him/his)

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/9144/2018/en/ 

Additional TARGETS

And copies to:

Military Judge Advocate General
Sharon Afek 
Address: 6 David Elazar Street 
Hakirya Tel Aviv, Israel 
Tel: +972 3-569 4526 
Fax: +972 3 608 0366 
Email: Mag@idf.gov.il 
Salutation: Dear Judge Advocate General

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. HIS EXCELLENCY MR MARK REGEV, Embassy of Israel, 2 Palace Green Kensington W8 4QB, 020 7957 9500, info@london.mfa.gov.il www.embassyofisrael.co.uk Please check with your section before sending appeals after the above date.