PRESS RELEASE

Stop The Campaign Against The Islamic Bloc

Birzeit - Last week we in the Islamic Bloc in Birzeit University expressed our concern for the well being of our colleague Ghassan Al Addassi. Since then no positive developments had came up. On the contrary till now the fate of Al Adassi is still unknown. Where we begun to believe that he will be kept for ever in detention, without allowing him to meet his family members or to meet a lawyer or to have a fair trial - a fair trial is something impossible in the Palestinian territories.

Reports coming from inside the detention center of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service (PSS) in Ramallah talk about a dangerous situation. Beside improper nutrition given to prisoners, torture has become a routine in the detention center. Many detainees are forced to stand (or set) in painful positions for long hours (and some time for days), where during this procedure they are beaten by security men on their faces and other parts of their body.

In the late months (especially in April) there has been an increase in actions such as: arresting university students. Chasing them inside the universities (like what happened here in BZU on the 13^th of April). Threatening them because of political activities that the PA does not approve. Trying to connect Islamic Bloc members and supporters to armed groups and activities by torture and other illegal procedures, which was what happened in Al Addassi case. Behind these illegal and inhuman actions stands different PA police forces, especially the PSS.

We fear that such actions. Which include arresting dozens of university students from: Birzeit university, An-Najah university, & the Islamic university in Gaza; are just the beginnings of a larger campaign to arrest larger numbers of university students (especially Islamic Bloc supporters), and to band the activities of the Islamic Bloc by the PA. As part of the coming political agreement between the PA and the Israeli government.

We in the Islamic Bloc refuse to become victims of any coming agreement between the PA and the Israeli government, and we want to ask: Does peace making need to arresting students, threatening people, killing, and violating human rights? If it does, we do not want such kind of "peace".

The Islamic Bloc in BZU (and in other Palestinian universities) is a group of students, that aims to serve different student's interests and issues. The Islamic Bloc did not, and will not never use violence to achieve its goals. So we find no justification for arresting any of our member or supporters, where we demand to release all of those whom have been arrested because of their support to the Islamic Bloc, either they were arrested by the Israeli army or the PSS.

We repeat our demand to release all political prisoners in PA jails, especially the students of Birzeit university: Ghassan Al Addassi & Ahmad Sa'eed.

Thuesday, 28 April, 1998

The Islamic Bloc in BZU