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Muhammad Faisal Abu Sakha (Photo: Power FM) Published by Maan News

Mohammed Abu Sakha (photo: Courtesy of Addameer) Published by 972Mag
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BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) --Dec 10, 2016.

After almost one year since Israeli authorities detained Palestinian circus performer Muhammad Faisal Abu Sakha, 23, and placed him under administrative detention, a petition to release him was rejected by the Israeli High Court, according to a Saturday statement from the Palestinian Circus School in Ramallah.

The statement said that after only 15 minutes of deliberation on Dec. 5, the court rejected the petition to release Abu Sakha based on “the same secret evidence opinion produced by the Military Prosecutor in December 2015,” that was used to justify his administrative detention order.

The only information provided over the course of Abu Sakha’s detention is that Israeli authorities have deemed him a “security threat,” something the school slammed as an “unfounded claim.”

The school highlighted the complete the lack of evidence against Sakha, as is typical of administrative detention -- Israel’s widely condemned policy of internment without charge or trial in maximum six-month long renewable intervals based on undisclosed evidence, that even a detainee’s lawyer is barred from viewing.

“As long as no charges and accessible evidence are formally brought against him, Abu Sakha will be prevented from defending himself and effectively denied his right to a fair trial,” the statement said.

The school urged foreign missions in Palestine who have previously spoken out against Israel’s administrative detention policy, to “put pressure on Israel to stop the arbitrary use of administrative detention and free all Palestinian administrative detainees or give them the right to a fair trial.”

The statement highlighted that the Dec.5 hearing was attended by the European Union representative office in Jerusalem, the Belgian Consulate General in Jerusalem, the Swiss Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority, the Spanish Cooperation Agency, Amnesty International, Terre Des Hommes Italy and International Solidarity Movement.

The European Union (EU) Representative, the EU Heads of Mission and the Heads of Mission of Switzerland and Norway in Jerusalem and Ramallah released a statement Thursday reiterating their "longstanding concern about the extensive use by Israel of administrative detention," highlighting Abu Sakha's case.

"The EU, Switzerland, and Norway call for the full respect of international human rights obligations towards all prisoners. Detainees have the right to be informed about the charges underlying any detention, must be granted access to legal assistance, and be subject to a fair trial," the statement concluded.

Abu Sakha was working as a circus performer and teacher at the Palestinian Circus School in Birzeit -- where he specialized in working with children with learning difficulties -- when he was detained on Dec. 14, 2015.

He was apprehended at an Israeli checkpoint while travelling from his parents' home to the circus school. He was initially held in Megiddo prison in northern Israel before later being transferred to Ktziot prison in the Negev.

At the end of December, the circus performer was sentenced by an Israeli military court to six months in administrative detention and in late March, an appeal by his lawyers against the sentence was dismissed.

Israeli authorities in June decided to extend the administrative detention of Abu Sakha, in spite of widespread outcry from activists and rights groups around the world demanding his release.

Israeli authorities ruled to extend his remand for another six months from June 13 until Dec. 12, in addition to the six months he had already served in administrative detention.

A statement from the circus school in June referred to the Israeli occupation as “a system that knows no humanity,” whose only goal is “to break the spirit of an entire nation.”

“You (the Israeli occupation) only make our resistance stronger. And the resistance of the Palestinian Circus School has always been and will continue to be injecting hope, love, and happiness in the hearts and minds of all Palestinians and all people that cross our path worldwide,” the school said.

According to prisoners rights group Addameer, as of October there were 7,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons, 720 of whom were administrative detainees.
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by IMEMC News, Dec 11, 2016

A year has passed since Israel detained Palestinian circus trainer Mohammad Abu Sakha and placed him under administrative detention without charge or trial, a press release by the Palestinian Circus School in Ramallah said on Saturday.

It said that the Israeli High Court rejected, after only 15 minutes of deliberation, on December 5, a petition to release Abu Sakha based on the opinion of the State of Israel that, according to same secret evidence opinion produced by the military prosecutor in December of 2015, Abu Sakha still represents a “security threat.”

“No further secret evidence has been produced to corroborate such an unfounded claim,” said the release, adding, “In any case, as long as no charges and accessible evidence are formally brought against him, Abu Sakha will be prevented from defending himself and effectively denied his right to a fair trial.”

The Circus School urged foreign missions in Palestine, who previously spoke against Israel’s administrative detention policy, to “put pressure on Israel to stop the arbitrary use of administrative detention and free all Palestinian administrative detainees or give them the right to a fair trial.”

The December 5 hearing was attended by the European Union representative office in Jerusalem, the Belgian Consulate General in Jerusalem, the Swiss Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority, the Spanish Cooperation Agency, Amnesty International, Terre Des Hommes Italy, and the International Solidarity Movement.

The internationally-criticized administrative detention allows Israel to detain people without charge or trial for indefinitely renewable periods of one to six months, WAFA further reports..

A number of Palestinian administrative detainees have gained their freedom only after they went on long hunger strike, some of whom have lasted three months. Currently, two prisoners are on hunger strike for over 77 days demanding their release or being formally charged.
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By Natasha Roth for 972Mag
Published December 12, 2016

Mohammed Abu Sakha, a circus performer, and Hasan Safadi, a prisoner rights advocate, have both had their administrative detention extended by six months.

Israeli authorities last week extended the administrative detention of Mohammed Abu Sakha, a Palestinian clown and children’s entertainer, by six months. Abu Sakha, who has been in jail without trial since December 2015, is now not due to be released until June 2017, according to Palestinian prisoner rights group Addameer.

The administrative detention of Addameer’s media coordinator, journalist Hasan Safadi, was also extended by six months last week. Safadi will not be released until June 2017, by which time he will have spent over a year in detention.

Administrative detention orders are used by Israel to imprison detainees without charging them or bringing them to trial, on the basis of secret evidence. Such orders can be renewed indefinitely for up to six months at a time. They can also be used to extend the jail time of someone who has finished serving their sentence, as with Bilal Kayed, who was sentenced to administrative detention after completing a 15-year prison term.

Abu Sakha, who has been a member of the Palestinian Circus School since 2007 and taught there until his detention, was arrested on his way to work while crossing a military checkpoint near Nablus, in the West Bank. He was placed in administrative detention shortly after, which has now been extended twice.

At the time, the IDF Spokesperson said that Abu Sakha had been arrested for “his involvement in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine,” deeming him a “severe security threat.” According to Addameer, that assessment remained unchanged at the time of Abu Sakha’s latest hearing, on December 5.

During one of his hearings, Abu Sakha, who specializes in working with children with special needs, told the court: “I am a circus performer. I am a clown. I have traveled around Europe and met with all kinds of people, Palestinians, Israelis, Americans. I have no intention of engaging in violent acts.”

Safadi, meanwhile, was arrested in March 2016, and sentenced to administrative detention a month later. The military prosecutor allegedly claimed during his initial trial that he had ties to an illegal organization and that he had visited an enemy country (Lebanon) on more than one occasion. According to Addaeer, Safadi was subjected to sleep deprivation and put in stress positions during a number of his interrogations. He has been denied family visits, as has Abu Sakha.

There are currently around 720 Palestinians in administrative detention in Israeli prisons, according to Addameer.

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