Ramallah, 17 February 2013 - On Wednesday 20 February 2013, several lawyers, including Addameer’s Mahmoud Hassan, will file a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem regarding Article 186 in Military Order 1651.
Article 186 allows for a special Israeli military committee to sentence released prisoners to serve the remainder of their previous sentence based on secret evidence provided by the military prosecution without disclosing the evidence to the prisoner or his lawyer.
This military order, which went into effect in 2009, particularly affects the prisoners who were released in the prisoner exchange deal on 18 October 2011. Since the exchange deal, Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) have arrested dozens of ex-prisoners, including eight former prisoners who were released in the exchange deal.
Ex-detainee Samer Issawi, who is on his 200th day on hunger strike to protest his arbitrary detention, was sentenced to thirty years in prison, of which he spent ten before his release in the exchange. Samer was re-arrested on 7 July 2012, and since then the military prosecution have been attempting to use Article 186 to sentence him for the remaining 20 years of his previous sentence.
Similarly, Ayman Sharawna, who has been on an intermittent hunger strike since 1 August 2012 was serving a prison term of 38 years, of which he served ten before his release on 18 October 2011. On 31 January 2012, Ayman was re-arrested and was presented to the Military Committee to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Furthermore, the Committee mandated by Article 186 sentenced Yousef Abdel Rahman Eshteiwi on 6 February 2012 for five years, the remainder of his previous sentence. The military committee justified his sentencing on the basis that his file contained secret information that could not be disclosed to Yousef or his lawyer, making the task of defense before the Committee an impossible task.
Addameer finds Article 186 of Military Order 1651 to be completely unjustified and undermines the protection of prisoners and ex-prisoners, and puts the lives of the hunger strikers in grave danger.
Addameer calls the international community and all human rights organizations to come together to eliminate this military order.
Addameer also calls for the media, activists, human rights defenders, individuals and institutions to attend the court hearing at the Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem at 9:00 am on 20 February 2013 to intensify pressure against this unjust and arbitrary law.