French academics call for release of student administrative detainees

Fax to Israeli authorities

Defence Minister Ehud BARAK
Tel Aviv (Israel)

Mr. Defence Minister,

The undersigned French academics and human rights activists have been informed that ten students of the West Bank university of Birzeit are presently being held under administrative detention. The last of them is Omar Qassis, a student who was arrested on March 27th, was forbidden to see a lawyer for one month while he was interrogated in the Russian Compound, was given administrative detention on May 1st and is presently held in a prison in the Negev. He was denied permission to see his family until now.

Administrative detention, i.e. detention without charge nor trial, is a form of arbitrary detention and thus a violation of international law, i.e. of the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights [Art. 9(1)] and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Art. 9). In the case of the students, it also violates their right to education.

Therefore we ask for the prompt release of all Birzeit students under administrative detention.

Respectfully yours,

Joyce BLAU, Professor Emeritus of the French Institute for Study of Oriental Civilizations and Languages

Sonia DAYAN-HERZBRUN, Professor of Sociology at the University of Paris-7

Paul KESSLER, physicist, Director of Research (retired), Hon. Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the French Society of Physics

Lydie KOCH-MIRAMOND, astrophysicist, Scientific Advisor to the French Atomic Energy Commission, Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the French Society of Physics

Henri KORN, Director of Research Emeritus of the Franch Institute for Health and Medical Research, Honorary Professor of the Institut Pasteur, Member of the French Academy of Sciences

Joseph PARISI, physicist at the University of Paris-11

Dominique SCHIFF, physicist, Director of Research, University of Paris-11

Gerard TOULOUSE, physicist, Director of Research Emeritus, corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences, member of the French Academy of Technologies

Copies to: the Prime Minister of Israel; the Director of the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association ; the Personal Representative for Human Rights of the Secretary General of the European Union.

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