MADA demands immediate release of journalist, hunger-striker Al-Qiq

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms “MADA” expressed high concerns regarding the health of Palestinian journalist, Mohamed Al-Qiq, following his administrative detention which is taking place for the second time.

Al-Qiq has been on a hunger-strike for 16 days now.

IOF arrested Al-Qiq for the second time on 15/01/2017, and he is currently in administrative detention.

Arresting Al-Qiq followed his recent release on 21/05/2016, after a period that lasted 93 days under hunger strike protesting his administrative detention back then. His hunger strike and the fast pace of his health deterioration forced Israeli Authorities to agree with his lawyer to release him immediately and end his hunger strike. Al Qiq was rearrested after being released in 8 months.

His wife Fayha’ Shalash reported to MADA that his lawyer Khaled Zabarqa managed on 19/02/2017 to visit him in Al-Jalmeh detention center, after issuing a petition for the Israeli supreme court, due to the postponement by the Israeli occupation intelligence to allow the visit for more than ten days.

She added, in accordance to his lawyer Zabarka “Al- Qiq health condition is deteriorating due to his continuous hunger strike; so far for 14 days. Al-Qiq now suffers from dizziness, loss of balance and severe back pains similar symptoms he faced in his previous due to the bad conditions of detention.

She also added” Zabarka informed me that Al-Qiq is exposed to bad conditions of detention, he is now located in a narrow cell less than 4Meters, that lacks minimum humanitarian needs, Occupation is preventing Al-Qiq from receiving blankets and winter clothes, which hinders his ability to sleep due to the cold”.

Al-Qiq reported to his lawyer “that he is exposed to such bad conditions of imprisonment only to force him to end his hunger strike, which he is insisting on until his administrative detention is repealed”.

MADA center expressed it high concern, due to the deteriorated health condition of Al-Qiq, and the pressure he is exposed to. MADA calls all Human rights organizations, and all bodies concerned with freedom of expression and media freedoms, to put pressure on the Israeli Occupation Authorities to immediately release Al-Qiq, and to stop arresting Palestinian journalists under the course of their work, and to stop the Israeli Policy of arbitrary administrative detention with no charges, noting that mostly administrative detention cases are renewed and extended which sometime lasts for years, and cases are exposed to re-arrest similar to Al-Qiqs case.

Source :PNN