A Palestinian mother describes her experience of going on hunger strike to demand the release of her son, who has been held in detention by the Palestinian Authority for over a year.
I have been on hunger strike for 26 days now, in an effort to get my son released from prison. I am demanding that the PA hold elections so that we can have a democratically-elected government that will free Mahmoud and all the other prisoners who have been wrongfully detained.
The PA has responded to my hunger strike by putting me in solitary confinement and denying me access to medical care. But I will not give up until my son is free and democracy is restored to Palestine.
No elections for PA since 2006
It has been over sixteen years since the Palestinian Authority (PA) held elections. This means that there has been no democratically-elected government in Palestine since 2006.
The PA has responded to my hunger strike by putting me in solitary confinement and denying me access to medical care. But I will not give up until my son is free and democracy is restored to Palestine.
The PA: Self-serving entity
It has been over sixteen years since the Palestinian Authority (PA) held elections. This means that there has been no democratically-elected government in Palestine since 2006.
It is hard to believe that the Palestinian Authority, an organization that is supposed to represent and care for the Palestinian people, would go so far as to allow one of its own citizens to starve to death. But that is exactly what is happening.
Iman Darweesh, a Palestinian mother, has been on hunger strike for over two weeks now, in an attempt to get her son released from PA custody. Her son, Nur Al-Din Darweesh, was arrested by the PA a little over a month ago and has been held in a secret location ever since. His crime? Speaking out against the PA on social media.
Iman has been protesting outside of the PA headquarters in Ramallah every day since her son’s arrest, but so far her pleas have fallen on deaf ears. The PA has refused to release Nur Al-Din or even tell his family where he is being held. They have also refused to allow Iman to see her son or speak to him on the phone.
The only information Iman has been able to get about her son is from other prisoners who have been released. They say that Nur Al-Din is being held in solitary confinement and
