Former Palestinian political prisoner and hunger striker, Samer Issawi, speaks exclusively to PSC about his experiences and his hopes for the future of the Palestinian people. Samer went on hunger strike in protest at Israel’s reinstatement of his 26 year sentence, despite his earlier release as part of the prisoner exchange in October 2011. Israel’s justification for his rearrest was on the spurious grounds he had entered the West Bank (Palestinian territory).
And in case you missed it – here is the PSC video with Mahmoud Sarsak:
Mahmoud Sarsak was arrested on 22nd July 2009 by the Israeli Forces as he was travelling from Gaza to play football for his new professional club, Markaz Balata. Mahmoud, who was 22 years old at the time, was a member of the Palestinian national football team and had obtained permission to travel through Erez checkpoint and enter the West Bank.
He was imprisoned by Israeli authorities for more than 3 years without trial. He was released on 10 July 2012 after 90 days on hunger strike.