[ad_1]
Ramallah, Occupied West Bank – There are plenty of smiles as a steady stream of visitors enters Kayed Fasfous’s room at a hospital in Ramallah.
The former Palestinian prisoner is recovering here released this week After a 131-day hunger strike, Israel is calling for “administrative detention” in protest of its possession, which allows for indefinite imprisonment without trial and charge.
“It’s wonderful to be free and surrounded by friends and family,” Fasfous, who was taken to hospital on Sunday, told Al Jazeera.
The former bodybuilder has lost about 45 kg for more than four months as a result of refusing to take food, supplements, vitamins or salt water. He was taken from custody to an Israeli hospital in October.
The hunger strike has caused tremendous damage to Fasfous, damaged his memory and his body is still weakened, but his spirits are strong.
“I decided to go on a hunger strike because I wanted to be free. I was also convinced of the justice of my case, because this land belongs to the Palestinians and we have the right to live, ”said the 32-year-old, who added that he felt reclaimed for the return of the administrative detention that began in late 2020. .
“This is a victory.”
A mechanic by profession, Fasfous had previously been imprisoned for six years. There were also several administrative arrests during those periods of imprisonment, a procedure used by the Israeli army to detain Palestinians in “secret information” without charge or trial.
“Secret information or evidence cannot be entered by detainees or their lawyers, and administrative detention, under Israeli military orders, can be renewed every six months indefinitely.” God Ramallah-based Addameer rights group.
“Although international law prohibits the widespread and systematic use of administrative detention, the Israeli occupation uses administrative detention as a tool for collective punishment of Palestinians.”
At least four of the five other Palestinian hunger strikers detained in administrative detention have ended up in recent months after Fasfus reached agreements with Israeli authorities.
Fasfous recalled the deplorable state of his arrest in October 2020 when dozens of Israeli soldiers searched his home in the town of Dura, near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, in front of his wife and young daughter.
When he was taken to Ofer prison in Ramallah with his eyes covered and handcuffed, he was attacked by Israeli soldiers, he said.
His family was also in the dark at the beginning where Fasfous was kept and they could not visit him.
Fasfous began a hunger strike in mid-July. By October, he was in critical condition and was taken from Ofer Prison to Tel Aviv Hospital; a tiring journey, he said, in which they kept handcuffs and eyes covered.
“In my debilitated condition it was difficult to sit upright, and I hit my body on the sides of the transport vehicle as it walked around,” he recalled.
He says he also received harsh and indifferent treatment from medical staff at an Israeli hospital.
“If I tried to complain or talk about any topic, they would say it doesn’t matter and they don’t care,” he said, and that doctors would try to persuade them verbally every day to end the action.
“But I refused,” he said. “I was able to continue my hunger strike, despite my severe hunger and physical discomfort, and the constant pressure to stop, because of my faith and the tremendous support of the Palestinian people.”
‘Freedom or death’
After the hunger strike ended on November 23, Fasfous was only able to eat small portions of soft foods that are easy to digest, such as boiled vegetables, milk and soup.
Doctors in Ramallah say there has been a marked improvement in his condition and that he could be discharged from hospital by the end of the week.
“I look forward to going home with my whole family in Duran, Hebron, to eat delicious Palestinian food and breathe fresh air,” Fasfous said with a smile.
“I’m so happy and when I finally get back to health, I want to take my wife to all the good restaurants in Hebron. I want to go for a walk outside to enjoy my freedom and see the beautiful countryside, ”he added from the hospital bed.
Nearby, Fasfous’s mother, Fawzia, was stunned.
“I am so happy to see my son again and my family reunited. All I ever wanted was for the whole family to be together, because over the years my sons have been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned, ”he told Al Jazeera.
Several Palestinian authorities also visited Fallaf Hospital in Ramallah, and called on him to congratulate a Palestinian Authority official on his release.
“He defeated a powerful country, he is an example to others and I am proud to be his uncle,” said Maher Namoura, a prominent leader of the Hebron Fatah party in Al Jazeera.
And Fasfous has big plans for the future.
“I want to go back to bodybuilding in a few months and go back to college to study as well as get back to work,” he said.
But as a result of his fatigue, he says he is aware that he may be behind the scenes again.
“I do not trust the Israelis and they may arrest me again, but if they do, I will start a hunger strike again. Freedom or death. ‘
[ad_2]
Source link
