Public meeting in Richmond – Admission free
‘Political Prisoners in Palestine’
Sahar Francis. the director of Palestinian NGO Addameer that works to support and campaign for the rights of Palestinian political prisoners will talk about the work of the organization and the plight of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons and detention centres.
- · More than 4500 prisoners are currently in prison
- · Hundreds of Palestinians are held in administrative detention without trial
- · Palestinian children are held in detention and treated in contravention of UN Convention on Rights of the Child, tortured and transferred illegally to jails within Israel.
Meeting details:
Thursday 21st February at 7.30pm
Richmond Unitarian Church
Ormond Rd, TW10 6TH
(nearest tube Richmond District and mainline – 10′ walk from station)
see also attached flyer
Notes for editors:
The Palestinian nongovernmental organization Addameer was founded in 1992 to promote and protect the rights of political prisoners.
Sahar Francis says ” “Addameer” is Arabic for “conscience.” We offer legal services to Palestinian political prisoners under Israeli occupation. Our organization represents political prisoners in Israel’s military and civil courts. We document and research violations of rights of prisoners, for example, torture, administrative detention and ill-treatment of prisoners in their daily life in prison. Addameer is engaged in campaigns and advocacy work. We publish public statements and urgent appeals on behalf detainees, and we submit reports on the situation of the political prisoners to the UN Human Rights Committee and UN Special Rapporteurs. We participate in national and international NGO [nongovernmental organization] networks. In 1994, I started to practice as a human rights lawyer at the Society of Saint Yves, a Catholic human rights center. I referred cases to Addameer and visited political prisoners as a volunteer for Addameer.
About Sahar: Since 2006, Sahar Francis has been the General Director of Ramallah-based Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, a Palestinian NGO providing legal and advocacy support to Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli and Palestinian prisons. An attorney by training, she joined the association in 1998, first as a human rights lawyer, then as head of the Legal Unit. With over sixteen years of human rights experience, including human rights counseling and representation, Ms. Francis also sits on the Board of Defence for Children International – Palestine Section.
The meeting is presented by Richmond & Kingston and West London branches of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC)