“Administrative detention is a nightmare that keeps detainees and their families waiting to be shocked by continuous renewals of the administrative
detention orders” – Salem Badi, 2009
Over 6,100 Days of Administrative Detention
Name: Salem Badi
Date of Birth: 22 January 1972
Date of Birth: 22 January 1972
Date of Arrest: 28 February 2014
Prison: Ofer Prison
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Employee in Al-Bireh Municipality
Residence: Al-Bireh
Arrest
On Friday 28 January 2014, the Badi family was surprised by the sound of explosives at the main door of the house and a huge number of Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) coming in. After checking the IDs of everyone in the house, the IOF arrested Salem without providing the family with any
information regarding the reason behind his arrest or where he was being taken.
4 Years and 3 Months in Administrative Detention
Salem started his battle with administrative detention in 1988, when he was still a child (16) and was held in administrative detention for a year and a half. He was arrested again in 1990 (a few months after the release) and received another 6 months administrative detention order.
In 2002, at the beginning of the second Intifada, IOF use of administrative detention increased dramatically as thousands of Palestinians were rounded up and detained without charge or trial. The arrest campaigns targeted all Palestinians, including Salem Badi who a further spent two years and three months in administrative detention, before being released in 2004.
Following his release in 2004, Salem enrolled in Birzeit University to pursue a bachelor’s degree. However, IOF re-arrested him in 2006 and held him in
administrative detention for another two years.
In 2008, Salem resumed his studies in Birzeit University and graduated in 2010 with a degree in Sociology. Salem was re-arrested in 2012 during solidarity activities related to the hunger strike of Palestinian political prisoners. On this occasion he received a 15 months sentence, from 20January 2012 to 22 July 2013. Prior to sentencing Salem was exposed to cruel interrogation for more than 45 days, despite the injuries he received during his arrest. At one point he was pushed by one Israeli soldier while he was blindfolded and shackled, and subsequently falling and losing consciousness.
He regained consciousness to find himself in Hadassah medical center where he underwent surgery.
Salem’s latest arrest occurred on 28 February 2014 and he immediately received an administrative detention order. He wasn’t subjected to a serious interrogation, and he wasn’t presented with charges or accusations, which is a violation of international law, conventions and guarantees of a fair trial. It also demonstrates that IOF do not use administrative detention as a last resort for security reasons as they claim, but as a punitive measure against all Palestinians.
Legal Analysis
On 3 March 2014, Salem had a judicial review hearing. During the hearing, the military judge Ron Delomi stated that Israeli intelligence had materials that indicate an increase in Badi’s activities after his latest release, and decided to issue another six-month administrative detention order against him based on the Israeli intelligence’s evaluation of his case.
During the hearing, which is held in secret, the military prosecution denied having a specific incident or activity against Salem. They stated that the intelligence’s evaluation resulted in the detention order. In the same session, the military judge noted that the activities mentioned in the detainee’s 'secret file’ might lead to other conclusions and results than those of the military prosecution. For this reason, the judge decided to confirm the administrative order conditionally, meaning that the administrative detention order cannot be renewed unless new information is presented to the judge.
This indicates that the accusations against Salem were far from being true and the 'secret’ information was not enough to present him with a list of charges.
Addameer’s lawyer Mahmoud Hassan stated in his defense that Salem Badi was exposed to detention a number of times. Hassan emphasized the latest detention where the Israeli intelligence attempted to fabricate accusations and charges against Badi; the intelligence officers tried to link Badi to incidents that were far from the truth. Hassan added that “the latest administrative detention order against Badi is only a revengeful act and a punitive measure for not confessing to any of the accusations during his previous detention.”
Family
Salem’s continuous targeting by IOF and his regular imprisonment has prevented him from getting married and having a family. After he graduated from Birzeit Univeristy, he worked in the library of Al-Bireh Municipality. Badi lives in Al-Bireh with his mother and father who are both in their seventies. His
parents’ old age doesn’t allow them to visit him in prison, but his brother and sister have been able to do so.
Salem Badi participated in Addameer’s convention to launch an international and local campaign against administrative detention in 2009
In 2009, Salem participated in a campaign launched by Addameer in solidarity with administrative detainees. Salem spoke about his experience with administrative detention which he suffered from for so many years. He highlighted the suffering of administrative detainees and the effects of continuous renewal orders on the detainees and their families, both physically and psychologically. Salem also confirmed that the information presented in the court hearings he had while he was in detention were false. He added that usually specific terms are used to describe administrative detainees in court, such as: dangerous military activist or dangerous to the security of “the state” and others. According to Salem the renewal orders are read without explanations or stating the reasons behind them.
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Administrative detention is a procedure that allows the Israeli military to hold detainees indefinitely on secret information without charging them or allowing them to stand trial. In the occupied Palestinian West Bank, the Israeli army 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 require the detention.” On or just before the expiry date, the detention order is frequently renewed. This process can be continued indefinitely.
For more information about administrative detention and Addameer’s Campaign to Stop Administrative Detention see: http://stopadcampaign.com
Read Addameer’s summary on administrative detention:
ACT NOW!
Here is how you can help Salem Badi:
*Write to the Israeli government, military and legal authorities and demand that Salem Badi be released immediately and his administrative detention order not be renewed.
- Brigadier General Danny Efroni
Military Judge Advocate General
6 David Elazar Street
Harkiya, Tel Aviv
Israel
Fax: +972 3 608 0366;
Email: arbel@mail.idf.il; avimn@idf.gov.il - Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon
OC Central Command Nehemia Base, Central Command
Neveh Yaacov, Jerusalam
Fax: +972 2 530 5741 - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak
Ministry of Defense
37 Kaplan Street, Hakirya
Tel Aviv 61909, Israel
Fax: +972 3 691 6940 / 696 2757 - Col. Eli Bar On
Legal Advisor of Judea and Samaria PO Box 5
Beth El 90631
Fax: +972 2 9977326
*Write to your own elected representatives urging them to pressure Israel to release Salem Badi and to put an end to such an unjust, arbitrary and cruel system of incarceration without trial.
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