"I believe that every human being has opinions and positions and can freely think and speak these opinions. I am a human rights defender who supports the Palestinian prisoners and I present my opinions in the public media. My thoughts are not secret, they are public, and everyone knows them." --Ayman Nasser
On 9 September 2018, Israeli occupation forces arrested Addameer’s legal unit coordinator Ayman Nasser. Soldiers broke into the house at 2:00 am. They woke up Aymen’s children and kept the entire family in the living room while they were searching the house. There were around ten soldiers inside the house and tens of soldiers outside the house.
On Sunday, 16 Sep 2018, the Israeli military commander of the West Bank issued a 6-month administrative detention order against Ayman. This order will finish on 8 March 2019 but can be indefinitely renewed. He has been detained in Ofer prison since then.
Ayman’s confirmation hearing was on 28 November 2018. Addameer’s lawyer appealed the confirmation of his administrated detention order on 7 January 2019 however, the appeal was rejected.
As we previously have said, Ayman is a fearless human rights defender who has committed himrself to utilizing all the legal tools available to realizing the basic rights of the Palestinian people.
In the occupied Palestinian West Bank, the Israeli occupation forces authorities is authorized to issue administrative detention orders against Palestinian civilians on the basis of Military Order 1651. This order empowers military commanders to detain an individual for up to six-month renewable periods if they have “reasonable grounds to presume that the security of the area or public security requires the detention.” On or just before the expiry date, the detention order is frequently renewed. This process can be continued indefinitely.
This practice of arbitrary detention is a grave violation of international laws and human rights standards, particularly articles 78 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which state that a detained individual has the right to defend him/herself. This also violates Article 66 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the basic standards of fair trial.
Addameer believes Nasser’s detention violates international fair trial standards since administrative detention orders are based on secret information. Therefore, his legal representatives are unable to fully address the prosecution’s argument, which asserts that Nasser poses a security threat.
It is of the upmost importance that we do everything possible to push the occupation authorities to not renew his administrative detention order. He is an honest, principled and committed human rights defender, and is deserving of all the support that we can provide.
How you can help
So, there are number of ways that international supporters can assist Ayman:
- Contact decision makers directly
Listed below are the contact details for the relevant decision makers. Please, take a minute out of your day, and reach out directly to them to urge them to release Ayman.
- Contact your own representatives
No matter what country you are from, if you have access to your representatives, please contact them directly about the issue. Pressure is built by pressing on those who will listen, and having them pass the message up the chain of decisions makers. The only way to do so is to have a sufficient amount of people reach out and express a desire that your government act on the issue.
- Organize a solidarity activity
This doesn’t have to mean organize a protest, or take the streets. You can raise awareness about the issue with the showing of a film, a discussion panel, or even by setting up a stall at a local market. Get creative with the means, but the goal is to educate and to engage.
More than ever, we hope that global supporters can engage and assist in the plight of Palestinian prisoners. We have seen over 70 years of inaction and disinterest from primary decision makers; the responsibility is now ours. If you need any support with this, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@addameer.ps.
Attorney General
Avihai Mendelbilt
Ministry of Justice
29 Salah al-Din Street
Jerusalem 91010, Israel
Fax: +972 2 530 3367
Email: ishkat-yoetz@justice.gov.il
Commander of the IOF – West Bank
General Nadav Padan
GOC Central Command
Military Post 01149, Battalion 877
Fax: +972 2 530 5741, +972 2 530 5724
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister's Office
Jerusalem
3 Kaplan St. Hakirya
91950
Fax: +972-2-6496659
Email: bnetanyahu@KNESSET.GOV.IL
Dear __,
I write today to demand the immediate release of the Human rights defenderAyman Nasser, who has been under administrative detention since September 2018.
Ayman Nasser has been imprisoned since 9 September 2018 without charge or trial. His administrative detention order runs the risk of being renewed on 8 March 2019. Ayman has been held in Administrative Detention on a separate occasion in 2014, He was released on 13 September 2015.
I demand the immediate release of Ayman Nasser and an end to the administrative detention policy which is on the basis of so-called secret information. This is an attempt to human rights advocates, such as Ayman Nasser, from dedicating their lives to achieving basic dignity for Palestinians. His continued detention is arbitrary and unjust, and I demand His immediate freedom.
Sincerely,