SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
3 Years w/out Charge, 90 Days w/out Food: Palestinian Hunger Striker Released by Israeli
Never charged, aspiring soccer player returned to Gaza
Jul 10, 2012
After more than 90 days on hunger strike and three years in Israeli custody without charge or trial, Palestinian soccer player Mahmoud al-Sarsak was released on Tuesday and returned to his home in the Gaza strip.
He was transferred to Shifa hospital in Gaza City for medical attention, where hundreds gathered to greet him. Al-Sarsak looked in weak but stable condition, according to a reporter with the Ma'an news agency. His ambulance was greeted by family and supporters, shouting "Victory, victory!" and "Freedom for the prisoners!"
The 25-year-old soccer player was arrested in July of 2009 while on his way from Gaza to sign on with a West Bank football team. Israel accused him publicly of being a 'terrorist' but never formally charged him or presented evidence of any crime. He began his hunger strike in April of this year -- along with hundreds of other prisoners -- to demand an end to his imprisonment and the Israeli policy of holding Palestinian prisoners without charge or trial.
He agreed to end his hunger strike on June 18 in exchange for his release.
Sarsak's protest attracted international attention, with world football governing body FIFA and rights group Amnesty International expressing concern over his ongoing detention and violations of his human rights.
# # #
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
After more than 90 days on hunger strike and three years in Israeli custody without charge or trial, Palestinian soccer player Mahmoud al-Sarsak was released on Tuesday and returned to his home in the Gaza strip.
He was transferred to Shifa hospital in Gaza City for medical attention, where hundreds gathered to greet him. Al-Sarsak looked in weak but stable condition, according to a reporter with the Ma'an news agency. His ambulance was greeted by family and supporters, shouting "Victory, victory!" and "Freedom for the prisoners!"
The 25-year-old soccer player was arrested in July of 2009 while on his way from Gaza to sign on with a West Bank football team. Israel accused him publicly of being a 'terrorist' but never formally charged him or presented evidence of any crime. He began his hunger strike in April of this year -- along with hundreds of other prisoners -- to demand an end to his imprisonment and the Israeli policy of holding Palestinian prisoners without charge or trial.
He agreed to end his hunger strike on June 18 in exchange for his release.
Sarsak's protest attracted international attention, with world football governing body FIFA and rights group Amnesty International expressing concern over his ongoing detention and violations of his human rights.
# # #
After more than 90 days on hunger strike and three years in Israeli custody without charge or trial, Palestinian soccer player Mahmoud al-Sarsak was released on Tuesday and returned to his home in the Gaza strip.
He was transferred to Shifa hospital in Gaza City for medical attention, where hundreds gathered to greet him. Al-Sarsak looked in weak but stable condition, according to a reporter with the Ma'an news agency. His ambulance was greeted by family and supporters, shouting "Victory, victory!" and "Freedom for the prisoners!"
The 25-year-old soccer player was arrested in July of 2009 while on his way from Gaza to sign on with a West Bank football team. Israel accused him publicly of being a 'terrorist' but never formally charged him or presented evidence of any crime. He began his hunger strike in April of this year -- along with hundreds of other prisoners -- to demand an end to his imprisonment and the Israeli policy of holding Palestinian prisoners without charge or trial.
He agreed to end his hunger strike on June 18 in exchange for his release.
Sarsak's protest attracted international attention, with world football governing body FIFA and rights group Amnesty International expressing concern over his ongoing detention and violations of his human rights.
# # #
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.