Palestinian NGO Network: No to the Death Penalty Law, Stop Occupation Policies in Prisons Immediately

SadaNews - The Palestinian NGO Network has confirmed that the ratification of the death penalty law for prisoners, proposed by the "Jewish Sovereignty" party led by the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir and approved by the occupation's Knesset yesterday, is an additional step towards deepening the fascist approach aimed at ending the Palestinian presence and intensifying the genocide practiced by the occupation state, which has been clearly evident over the past 28 months since October 2021 and continues in various forms to this day.

The network views the approval of this law as the highest manifestation of the violations committed by the occupation state against female and male prisoners in its jails, which has led to the martyrdom of 89 individuals over the past two years, despite reports indicating that hundreds of citizens have been kidnapped from Gaza and have become victims of what is known as enforced disappearance, in addition to the field executions carried out by the occupation army under the pretext of fighting illegal combatants. Today, this unjust law emerges as an extension of the same brutal behavior. Therefore, the network emphasizes, as stated in its declaration:

-    A broad official and popular movement within organized and extensive campaigns to stop this law that has no relation to any international laws or treaties, and to restore the legal status of female and male prisoners as fighters for the freedom of their people, and to conduct wide international pressure campaigns to expose the occupation's lies in attempts to label them as "terrorists" to justify death sentences against them and refute these claims.

-    Activate all legal provisions that would enable prosecuting the occupying power and including the file of prisoners and violations by the occupation, including the file of martyr prisoners, systematic torture, medical neglect, and all practices that the occupying state has committed and continues to commit against them, and convey this to all international organizations.

-    Work on urgent messaging to the parliaments of the world, international parliamentary unions, and all institutions to sever relations with the occupation's Knesset, lift its international immunity, and declare a clear position from parliaments, leaders, and global political and institutional figures, linking it with strict actions from governments to take clear stances regarding what is happening.

-    Continue and expand popular activities, vigils, and actions to express the Palestinian people's support for female and male prisoners in the occupation's jails, address international bodies, organize events, petitions, and correspondence, and urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies to assume responsibility towards this important file and expose the occupation's attempts to legitimize executions.

-    The network confirms that the freedom of prisoners in the jails is a right guaranteed by international agreements, and there is no alternative to it. The entry point for this is for the United Nations and its institutions to ensure their protection and call upon all institutions, including the International Red Cross, to organize visits to the jails, reveal the reality of the maltreatment and torture they are subjected to, and work towards holding the occupying state accountable for its crimes against them.

-    In light of the continuation of Israeli crimes and the level of these crimes against the Palestinian people, we call on the United Nations General Assembly to convene under the theme "United for Peace" to establish practical mechanisms for protecting the Palestinian people and their prisoners and to suspend the membership of the occupying and genocidal state in the United Nations.