The following story was written in Hebrew by Tamar Fleishman, an Israeli activist against the occupation, and sent to us by Ofer Neiman. –Editor.
The smile that burst from Imad al-Batran’s eyes and shone from his face when he heard me call his name today from the entrance to the “prisoners’ room” was a huge recompense for the trivial effort involved in travelling to the Assaf HaRofeh hospital. Imad al-Batran is an administrative detainee who has been on a hunger strike for 72 days now, lying on a bed near the door, next to Ayman Hamdan’s bed. Ayman, another administrative detainee, has been on a hunger strike for 80 days. Both of them are handcuffed to their beds by the wrist.
The smile that burst from Imad al-Batran’s eyes and shone from his face when he heard me call his name today from the entrance to the “prisoners’ room” was a huge recompense for the trivial effort involved in travelling to the Assaf HaRofeh hospital. Imad al-Batran is an administrative detainee who has been on a hunger strike for 72 days now, lying on a bed near the door, next to Ayman Hamdan’s bed. Ayman, another administrative detainee, has been on a hunger strike for 80 days. Both of them are handcuffed to their beds by the wrist.
Experts tell us that danger of irreversible damage to the body begins on the 75th day of a hunger-strike.
To me, there can be no activism against the Occupation without a struggle to free the political prisoners and without opposition to administrative detentions.
Like many other detainees, Ayman Hamdan and Imad al-Batran do not know why they are jailed. They do not serve a fixed term; their detention is renewed every time.
It is very important to them, and no less important to us, to spread the word and to visit and give words of encouragement to Ayman Hamdan and Imad al-Batran.
So please – visit them at Assaf HaRofe. A small effort and a great feeling of reward.
Tamar Fleishman
Translation from Hebrew: Mark Marshall.
Is there a petition to sign or add a small comment.
I wish there was a place we all could read about each of these hunger strike prisoners, who they are, what their individual struggles are, and write encouraging words to them that they could see and read.