MacManus calls for immediate release of Palestinian Hunger Striker

Sinn Féin MEP for the Midlands Northwest, Chris MacManus, has called for the immediate release of Maher al-Akhras.

Maher al-Akhras has passed 100 days on Hunger Strike after being detained, without charge, by Israeli authorities.

Speaking from Brussels, MacManus said:

“Maher al-Akhras, a farmer from a village in the occupied West Bank, was arrested near Nablus and placed in “administrative detention”, a policy Israel uses to hold suspects without charge. The policy of administrative detention, which was inherited from the British administration, violates the right to due process since evidence is withheld from prisoners while they are held for lengthy periods without being charged, tried or convicted. 

“This policy, labelled internment when it was used in Ireland in the 1970s, was a thinly veiled excuse to terrorise the civilian population who opposed British subjugation.  

“Currently, about 355 Palestinians are being held under administrative detention orders, including two children.

“To highlight and protest this injustice Mr al-Akhras commenced a hunger strike. That hunger strike has now surpassed 100 days on hunger strike and the Israeli authorities have yet to bring any charges forward. 

“This illegal detention must be rejected by the international community and I am calling for the immediate release of Maher al-Akhras. 

“There is no room for ambiguity when it comes to international law. The detention of Maher al-Akhras is unlawful and his condition is critical. The Israeli authorities must release him immediately. ENDS