In 2002, during his last year in high school, TW was arrested, interrogated, charged and imprisoned for membership of the PFLP. He was held and interrogated for 28 days before he was allowed to see a lawyer. He was sentenced to 24 months but was released after 13 months.
Arrest
On his release in March 2003, TW enrolled as a psychology student at Birzeit University, near Ramallah and worked as a waiter to support himself. In January 2004 a new Israeli military commander was appointed to the area, Captain Dudu. The Captain made it his business to interview as many Palistinian political activists in his area as he could. On 12 January, 2004, it was TW's turn to be interviewed, he recalls the Captain saying to him:
“You’ll be seeing us around and you will know what administrative detention is.”
On 23 October, 2004 at 1.00 in the morning, 12 IDF jeeps pulled up outside the home TW shared with his parents, four brothers and two sisters near Birzeit. The soldiers came equipped with attack dogs and ordered the family out of the house, including TW’s three year old sister. The soldiers asked the boys to produce their ID cards whilst other soldiers with dogs entered the house. Captain Dudu was present:
“who of you should I arrest?” asked the Captain.
“You can’t ask me this” replied TW.
“I think I will take R” came the response.
R is TW’s younger brother, who at the time was 16 years old. TW objected and the Captain said:
“Well, I’ll take you then, say goodbye to your family.”
TW was taken over to the jeeps by the soldiers, handcuffed with plastic ties and blindfolded. TW believes he was taken to the settlement of Beit Il, one of the biggest Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He thinks that there were two other Palestinians in the back of the jeep, two soldiers and a dog. Although blindfolded, he could see down towards the floor.
On arrival, they were taken out of the jeep and made to sit on the ground for about three hours. During this time TW recalls that a group of soldiers stood nearby laughing and taking photographs. After about three hours a small plastic chair was brought for him to sit on until it got light. He was again placed in the back of a jeep and taken to Binyamin detention centre, Ofer. He was again made to sit on the ground for about one and half hours before being taken inside for processing. His name was registered and his personal belongings taken from him. Once processed he was assigned a tent with other detainees.
Administrative detention
After five days TW was issued with a six month administrative detention order. Two days later he was brought before the military “court” at Ofer and the order was confirmed during the five minute hearing. He was accused of being:
“A political activist at Birzeit and Ramallah.”
The main political activities that TW had been engaging in were:
-Distributing a newsletter at the campus informing students that political prisoners had commenced a hunger strike and keeping them updated with developments.
-A number of students, including TW, erected a tent on campus and launched their own hunger strike for seven days in solidarity with the prisoners.
-Presenting a sketch about a typical interrogation to teach students how they should handle being interrogated.
-Distributing a flyer developed by the Palestinian NGO, Addameer entitled “Know your rights” informing students of their rights if detained.
-Showing solidarity with the families of detainees.
TW spent the first month of his detention at the Ofer detention centre. After a month there were heavy rains and the tents that they lived in leaked. The detainees protested and they were moved to Naqab detention centre in the Negev desert, Israel. They were again housed in tents but the desert climate is dryer.
TW decided not to appeal his administrative detention order because at this time the detainees were boycotting the courts in protest of the system. He was fairly confident that his detention order would not be renewed after the first six months as there was nothing in his file which would warrant such action. TW’s administrative detention order was renewed:
First order (six months);
Second order (six months);
Third order (six months);
Fourth order (six months, reduced to four);
Fifth order (4 months, reduced to one).
New charges
At the end of the fifth detention order TW was taken back to Ofer for further interrogation. An Israeli man in civilian clothes, who said he was a policeman, showed him a list of names of students at Birzeit University and asked him what he knew about them. The man then told TW that there were new confessions against him concerning the distribution of leaflets – he was not told anything about these leaflets. TW was then charged with being an:
“activist in the student union.”
After a great deal of negotiations between TW’s lawyer, the prosecutor and the Shabak (Israeli internal security), TW was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment, with a reduction of 24 months for time already served in administrative detention.
TW was finally released on 11 December, 2006.
Emotional toll
TW says that the worst part of administrative detention is the first and last month of each period of the order. In his own words:
“The first month is very tense. All your plans have gone – university, gone. It is devastating – all hopes of a normal life collapse. The last month is terrible too – should I allow myself to dream of release or not? Should I risk the pain? Should I prepare myself for another period of detention? It was not easy on my family either. At this time four of my parent’s sons were in detention – they had no support.”
My final question to TW is how did he feel when he was told he was to be released. A huge beaming smile spreads across his young face:
“I couldn’t sleep for the last three nights – I was so excited. The morning I was to be released I took a shower and waited until 1.00 pm, but nobody came. I asked a prison officer what was going on? The prison officer told me that I would have to wait until the Shabak office closed just in case they wanted to issue another detention order. At 4.00 pm I was finally taken to the office and processed for release. None of my personal belongings were there as they were still at Naqab prison – I had no money or ID card. I asked the guards to give me a letter explaining this as I did not want to get into trouble at a checkpoint. They said “don’t worry” but did not give me the letter. About a month later my money and ID card were returned to me, but some of my papers were missing.”
TW has now returned to his studies at Birzeit University.
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