Right to Education Campaign denounces abusive Israeli detentions against Birzeit University students

The Right to Education Campaign expresses grave concern over the repeated detentions of Birzeit University students`. During July and August 2019, fourteen of Birzeit University students were arrested by the Israeli Occupying Forces, four of them were released.

Last night, on August 28, Mays Abu Ghosh, a fourth year student in the Department of Media and a volunteer in the Right to Education Campaign, was arrested by the Israeli occupying forces. She is currently in Al-Moscobiyeh Interrogation Center. The Israeli occupying forces confiscated her computer, mobile, and attacked her family. Abu Ghosh is the sister of the martyr Hussein Abu Ghosh who was killed by the Israelis in 2016 and destroyed their home in Qalandiya refugee camp near Ramallah.

Just recently, four students have been arrested by the Israeli occupying forces. Ahmad Kharouf and Ribhi Karajah are still in Al Al-Moscobiyeh Interrogation Center since August 26, 2019. In addition, Israr Marouf was arrested and held under administrative detention for four months. Shadi Al Barghouthie and Marwan Al Barghouthie were directly released

Prior of the series of arrests on August, eight students were also arrested in June and now are in Ofar prison. These students are: Bilal Hamed, Maaz Abed, Osama Al-Fakhouri, Mohammad Nakhla, Abduallah Srour and Baraa Assi. Two of the eight students have been released recently.

The Right to Education Campaign sees that these acts of violence and aggression against our staff and students aim at undermining the foundation of our education system, and violating basic human rights. Birzeit University aspires to live by the values of democracy, freedom of speech and respect for human rights, and these violations will not deter its commitment to higher education, and the pivotal role it has played since its establishment.

The Right to Education Campaign calls upon all international organizations -including all parliamentary representatives, decision makers and university communities- to condemn these acts and the underlying policies, to hold Israel accountable for crimes that breach Palestinian youth’s right to education, and to take immediate action to stop such repressive measures in order to protect the right to academic freedom for Palestinians.