RELEASE STUDENTS IN ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION!

Arafat Mudar Mohammad Daoud

Date of Birth: 25 September 1982
Place of Residence: Deir Ghassaneh Village, district of Ramallah
Occupation: Third year university student at Birzeit University; Sociology Major
.Hobbies: Karate
Social Status: Single
(Place of Detention: Negev Prison (Ketziot
Date of current administrative detention: 21 March 2008
Date of Release: UNCERTAIN

Twice an administrative detainee

Arafat was first detained on 17 February 2004. Immediately after, he was exposed to harsh interrogation techniques by the Israeli Security Authorities (ISA) for a period of approximately 2 months. Detained alone in a cell and suffering from isolation, he was denied access to a lawyer for almost the whole entirety of his interrogation period as a means to coerce him into confessions. Arafat was finally sentenced to 20 months in prison and a fine was imposed on him. He was eventually released on 11 September 2005. On 23 March 2006, Arafat was arrested once again. This time, he was placed under administrative detention for eight months, during which a bill of indictment was submitted against him.  Arafat was released on bail pending the completion of the legal procedures. The legal procedures continued at the Ofer Military Court following his release. Just when his initial legal case was about to end, Arafat was arrested once again, on 21 March 2008. He was placed under administrative detention for a period of four months, at the end of which a court judgement was issued against him. Arafat was sentenced to a 14-month period of detention as well as the administrative detention of the previous two periods being taken into account. After serving the sentence period, he was placed under a four-month period of administrative detention from 11 November until 10 March 2009). The military judge of the first court hearing reduced this period for one) month only, until 9 December 2008. However, the prosecution appealed against the reduction of the administrative detention period. On 17 December, the military judge accepted the military prosecution’s appeal and cancelled the reduction. Arafat’s detention order was expected to come to an end on 9 March 2009, however on 10 March 2009 it was renewed once again. This was Arafat′s second renewal

A student during the day, a waiter at night

Arafat is a third-year university student at Birzeit University. He studies at the Faculty of Arts where he majors in Sociology. Arafat was in his second semester when he was arrested. Now, his education is suspended as no coordination exists between the Israeli Prison Service and Palestinian universities. As an administrative detainee he is not even allowed to apply to the Open University of Israel to study by distance. Before his arrest, Arafat supported himself by working as a waiter in the Al-Bireh Park (Muntazah Al-Bireh) every evening after class. With the passing away of his father, the family could not afford to pay his tuition fees

A family affected by prison

Arafat is one of the family’s seven children. This is not the first time the family has experienced the imprisonment of a family member. Arafat’s eldest brother, Nazzal, was arrested many times, the most recent of which was on 23 March 2007 when he was placed under administrative detention for 17 consecutive months Arafat’s paralyzed mother and his sister Thaera are the only family members who are allowed to obtain visit permits. However, due to her illness Arafat’s mother is unable to visit her son in prison. Arafat’s three brothers are former detainees, and are denied visit permits for “security reasons”. Thaera must therefore endure the long and arduous journey alone. She is married and is a mother of six children, the youngest of whom is three-years

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