RESTRICTION SUMMARY: Gaza- 17 April 2022. The mother of Palestinian Prisoner Ahmed al-Zahar, Kifah Abu Jayab, who is not allowed to visit him, displays his picture on the Palestinian Prisoner's Day, at her home.

0.1 SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Kifah Abu Jayab
0.2 SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Media Officer at the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip Hisham Muhanna

STORYLINE:

On April 17 of each year, Palestinian Prisoner's Day is marked to highlight the plight of Palestinian political prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and call for their freedom.

Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967, Israel has imprisoned over 1 million Palestinians and continues to employ its policy of mass arbitrary detention through daily military raids and incursions.

Administrative Detention is widely used to imprison Palestinians with no charge or trial for indefinite periods of time. Since 1967, Israeli occupation authorities have issued over 60,000 administrative detention orders.

Most Palestinian prisoners are held in prison facilities located inside Israel and not in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a grave violation of the 4th Geneva Convention amounting to forcible transfer.

All Palestinians are tried in military courts which have a conviction rate of 99%.

Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including women and children, are also subject to various forms of torture and ill-treatment

April 17th marks Palestinian Prisoner’s Day – and a coalition of Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups issued a report about the current status of Palestinian political prisoners. Israeli authorities currently have imprisoned 4450 prisoners, including 32 female prisoners, 160 children under the age of 18, and 530 held without any charges in direct violation of internal law, under so-called ‘administrative detention’.

Footage by APAwire