On Ataf Ilayan’s 22nd day of refusing all food, she will now no longer drink water. Ms. Ilayan is suffering from low blood-pressure and her weight has dropped from 67 to 56 kilos. She has stated that she will continue her hunger strike until she is released from administrative detention.

Today, the Israeli prison authorities notified Ms. Ilayan that she will no longer receive family visits. In addition, they confiscated her radio as a result of her continued hunger strike. Family visits, however, are a protected right. From the beginning of her hunger strike, the Israeli prison service authority has kept Ms. Ilayan in isolation. Today, she was transferred to the prison clinic where she remains under medical supervision.

Ms. Ilayan began her hunger strike as soon as she received her administrative detention orders on 22 October. She has stated that she could not accept for one day the loss of her liberty without any charges or fair trial. She has declared her strike in order to protest her administrative detention and insisted that she will not accept surrendering her freedom at any cost.

Ms. Ilayan was released from Neve Tirza prison in the women’s prisoner release under the Interim Agreement. Since her release, the Israeli military prohibited Ms. Ilayan from visiting her husband in prison, moving into her husband’s home in Jaffa and from visiting her family abroad. She remained in Bethlehem with her mother and was studying social work at Bethlehem University when she was arrested.

There are over 500 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons under administrative detention. Not one has been tried or convicted of any offense.

As Ms. Ilayan’s condition becomes more serious, LAW calls for immediate, urgent international pressure for her unconditional release or trial, for the release of all the Palestinian administrative detainees and for the end of the use of administrative detention. Please send your protests immediately to: Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu (972) (2) 566 4838, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Levy (972) (2) 530 3506, Minister of Internal Security Avigdor Kahalani (972) (2) 584 7872, Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai (972) (3) 691 6940. Electronic mail to: Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu: pm@pmo.gov.il, Michael Stoltz, Office of the Prime Minister: mstoltz@pmo.gov.il or feedback@pmo.gov.il, and the Israeli Government Press Office: gpo@pmo.gov.il, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: ask@israel-info.gov.il.

LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.