Detained Palestinian theatre director resumes hunger strike

Zakaria Zubeidi being held without charge by the Palestinian security forces and supporters say could die within days

The Palestinian militant was theater director Zakaria Zubeidi resumed a hunger strike to protest against his continued detention without charge by any Palestinian security forces and his supporters say it could die few days.

Zubeidi, who publicly renounced the armed struggle in 2006 in favor of cultural resistance, was jailed in Jericho prison since May 13 after being arrested in a wave of arrests in his hometown Jenin. He has not been charged with any crime.

assured that they would be released, but at a hearing in court Monday that his detention was extended by 19 days. He said he refused all food, liquids, and medical care.

Witnesses said, visibly weak and thin Zubeidi told the court: "This morning, the doctor told me that I have three days of life if you do not drink the water if the court decided to kill me .. "

Zubeidi arrested after an attack by armed men in the house of the governor of Jenin, who later died of a heart attack. A weapon used in the attack was linked by investigators to the Palestinians Zubeidi. He denied any involvement in his arrest and offered to cooperate with the investigation.

He told his relatives and associates who had been held in solitary confinement for the first 50 days of detention, he was denied access to a lawyer for more than two weeks and has been abused and tortured by interrogators. His lawyer, Farid Hawwash, was also arrested for criticizing the Palestinian security forces.

Human Rights Watch criticized

Zubeidi arrest. "For more than four months, the Palestinian Authority has violated basic due process rights Zubeidi be charged and tried, and continues to ignore his statements that interrogators tortured," said Bill Van Esveld, HRW.

"foreign donors emergency AP if the pressure to end impunity and arbitrary arrests Zubeidi case illustrates." Western governments like Britain and the United States directly to funding the PA security.

• Zubeidi is director and co-founder of The Freedom Theatre in Jenin innovative but controversial. Jonatan Stanczak, general manager of the theater, said: "I fear that Zakaria is the first Palestinian prisoner died as a result of the hunger strike - and the terrible thing is that it is in a Palestinian prison. '

Jenny Nyman, widow of Juliano Mer-Khamis, the founder of the theater who was shot 18 months ago, said. "This is a disaster and a disgrace to the AP If you allow a person who has fought all his life for the freedom of his people die in prison is a very dark period, and an important symbol of the state of Palestinian society. "

Hawwash, Zubeidi lawyer said he would appeal the decision to the court in Ramallah on Wednesday, but had "no expectations" results.

Jenin was the cornerstone of the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, and the home of many suicide bombers sent to attack Israeli citizens. Zubeidi was on the most wanted list Israel as head of the Brigade of Martyrs of Al-Aqsa in the city. But then occupied Jenin Palestinian government as a model of good for the city prospered economic investment and security forces of the Palestinian Authority took control of extremist groups.
A series of attacks over the last 18 months - including the unsolved murder of Mer-Khamis, the assault against the governor's house and killing two weeks ago of the Palestinian Authority security chief Hisham al-Rakh - has led to calls that slide into anarchy Jenin.

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