Israel has a policy of mass imprisonment of Palestinians. Imprisonment and the treatment of prisoners affects thousands of prisoners inside prison at any one time and hundreds of thousands of people over time, and also their families. In the picture is the mother of a prisoner who had been imprisoned without trial, as hundreds are, under ‘administrative detention,’ on a demonstration calling for his release.
Most families in Palestine include people who have been in prison. Palestinians experience this as a collective punishment; the issue is so major that Palestinians have a Ministry for Prisoners and a national Prisoners’ Day each 17th April.
This issue is explored in the talks given on Prisoners’ Day 2020 CADFA prisoners’ day notes April 2020.
There is more information on prisoners here (see leaflet below), child prisoner leaflet and on Abu Dis prisoners in our human rights reports.
More information on CADFA prisoner campaign
Political imprisonment in Palestine
CADFA Prisoners leaflet: Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails
Addameer – Palestinian prisoners’ support and human rights organisation
Abu Jihad Prisoners’ Museum in Abu Dis
Adala – the Legal Centre for Minority Rights in Israel
“Palestinian Children do not have the right to a fair trial under the Israeli military court system” — Defence for Children International statement