Artistic Director enters one month in Israeli jail and Zakaria Zubeidi starts a hunger strike
Press Release from The Freedom Theatre, Jenin, Occupied Palestine
July 3rd, 2012
Zakaria Zubeidi, co-founder of The Freedom Theatre who has been incarcerated in Jericho prison by the Palestinian Authority since the 13th of May, has initiated a hunger strike as he is continuing to be denied of his rights as stated in Palestinian law. At his latest scheduled hearing on June 26th, Zakaria\’s lawyer was not informed that he had been transformed from a civil to a military court.
– This is an action to deny me the right to meet with or speak to my client, says Zakaria\’s lawyer Farid Hawash.
– They are playing with Zakaria, juggling him between the civil and military court in order to circumvent their own so-called law, says Jonatan Stanczak, Managing Director of The Freedom Theatre.
On July 2nd Zakaria made a statement that was passed on by a recently released prisoner saying that if necessary he will continue the hunger strike until death.
The Freedom Theatre\’s Artistic Director Nabil Al-Raee\’s detention in Israeli prison has once again been extended. While the judge at the latest military court hearing on July 1st very clearly pointed out that Nabil was not suspected of any crime, his detention was still extended for 48 hours and now recently for another 4 days.
The Israeli prosecution first claimed that Nabil possessed information relating to the death of Juliano Mer Khamis, and later claimed that Nabil was involved in “terror activities”. On July 2nd new charges were brought up by the Israeli prosecution, who is now accusing Nabil of “helping a wanted person”.
Another military court hearing is scheduled for this Thursday, July 5th. Nabil will then have been incarcerated for 30 days. These 30 days included his own birthday as well as his wife\’s and his daughter\’s birthdays.
Nabil\’s wife Micaela Miranda attended the hearing on June 28th but was not allowed to speak to her husband. – What I experienced in the military court was a theatre play. This was not the law being upheld, this was a humiliating farce, says Micaela Miranda.
The Freedom Theatre is now beginning to seriously feel the consequences of the unlawful detention of its Artistic Director. The opening of the theatre\’s latest production, an adaptation of the Caretaker by Harold Pinter, directed by Nabil Al-Raee, was scheduled for 1st of July and is now postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile The Freedom Theatre\’s three-year professional Acting School programme is deprived of one of its managers and head teachers.
– The Freedom Theatre is a space where youth and children can reverse the damaging consequences of decades of military occupation and discrimination. When the safety of this space is jeopardized by this systematic harassment then the carpet is pulled from under our feet says Jonatan Stanczak.
Prominent cultural figures and institutions in Occupied Palestine, the United States and the United Kingdom have made public statements in support of Nabil, Zakaria and The Freedom Theatre, as have members of the EU Parliament and the Portuguese Parliament. Individuals all over the world have signed petitions and made phone calls and emails to protest against the attacks on the theatre. (See https://thefreedomtheatre.org/news.php for details).
– We are calling for continued help and support to stop this harassment of the theatre and its members, says Jonatan Stanczak. It is especially in difficult times such as these that we need all the help that we can get. See numbers to call and addresses to email here: https://thefreedomtheatre.org/news.php?id=239
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For further information Jonatan Stanczak, Managing Director of The Freedom Theatre, can be reached on jonatan@thefreedomtheatre.org and +46 (0)707908296
Micaela Miranda can be reached on micaela@thefreedomtheatre.org and +972(0)597016230.
