EXCLUSIVE PICTURES

On Monday, 09.01.2012, the Committee for Political Prisoners and the Association of Muslim Youths in the West Bank organized a solidarity sit-in against policies of political detention and job severance by the Ramallah Authority.
 
Protesters demanded the release of all political prisoners, the reinstatement of those dismissed from jobs and general freedoms in the West Bank. The protests were staged at the Martyr's Rotary in the northern West Bank city of Nablus under the slogan "Freedom for the Al-Junaid Detainees".

In a statement put out by the protesters, they asserted that "the reconciliation meetings that have taken place and the freedom committees that have been formed have not yielded anything on the ground; the file on those dismissed remains open and political prisoners in the al-Junaid prison continue to suffer. Some of these prisoners have remained in the al-Junaid prison for more than four consecutive months for having resisted the occupation, or simply for their political stances." 
 
The sit-in organizers sent invitations to members and of the Palestinian Legislative Council including its leader, the leadership of the Palestinian factions, representatives of human rights organizations, national and academic personalities and former detainees of PA prisons.
 
It also sent a special invitation to members of the Committee on freedoms in the West Bank which came about as a result of reconciliation meetings. It invited the Committee to take part in the sit-in, to communicate with political detainees, to condemn the postponement of their release and the fact that their case is being ignored, and denounce the continuation of rendering and detention operations.

MEMO Photographer: Ibtehal Mansour