Palestinian Prisoners Day is observed annually on the 17th of April.

Israel, the occupying power, uses arbitrary arrest, detention and home raids as a tool to oppress our people. Every Palestinian family has been affected or is vulnerable to these draconian and oppressive policies.

• There are currently 4450 Palestinians being held by Israel, including 37 women and 140 children;
• 440 of those being held are administrative detainees, meaning they have not been charged with any offence nor have they been allowed the due    process of a trial;
• Palestinians are tried under Israeli military law and face military courts, in stark contrast with the illegal settlers who live on their land and are ruled by Israeli civilian laws;
• Military courts have a 99% conviction rate against the Palestinians who face them;
• Most of those convicted are forcibly transferred and held outside of the occupied territories, in breach of international law

The State of Palestine stands wholeheartedly behind our political prisoners, as they have stood against the illegal colonisation and prolonged occupation in legitimate resistance.  We support our prisoners on an international stage and are firmly against the use of military courts for our civilian population.  Palestinians routinely face fair trial violations before Israeli military courts. The Israeli military authorities through the exercise of executive, legislative and judicial powers effectively enforce control over the Palestinian territory, suppress any form of Palestinian resistance against the occupation’s policies, and dissuade the Palestinian people from their right to self-determination.

Palestinians have a right to justice and equality.  We ask the international community to work with us to uphold the rights and dignity of our political prisoners, and to ensure an end to breaches of international law.