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Sa’adat’s Letter Marks Prisoners’ Day in Gaza

22/04/11

Free Ahmad Sa’adatOn the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners’ Day [April 17], éirígí would like to take this opportunity to once again extend solidarity to its imprisoned Palestinian comrades.

As we have stated many times previously, as socialist republicans opposed to Israel’s occupation of Palestine and the wholesale abuse of the human rights of Palestinian population that Israel oppresses, we in éirígí will continue to show our support for Palestinian prisoners and to oppose the zionist regime and its war crimes against the Palestinian people that is the direct cause of violence in the region that has resulted in the incarceration of tens of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children.

In particular, we pay tribute to our imprisoned comrades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [PFLP]. These PFLP comrades are imprisoned because they represent a threat not only to the social, political, ethnic, religious and ‘racial’ divisions fostered and maintained by the zionist regime, but also owing to the fact that the PFLP represents a revolutionary socialist bulwark and opposition to the corrupt politics of the conservative Fatah movement and religion-oriented radicalism. The corruption of Fatah and its complicity with Israel in its occupation of Palestine is demonstrated by its role in the abduction and imprisonment almost 10 years ago of PFLP general secretary Ahmad Sa’adat. Sa’adat remains in prison to this very day.

In the article below, Sa’adat, in a letter from his cell, calls for unity around the prisoners’ issue and identifies this as being something that might lay the foundations for a unified approach to finding a just resolution to the broader Palestinian national question.

We once again take this opportunity to extend fraternal solidarity greetings to comrade Sa’adat and, indeed, to all Palestinian prisoners.

Until all are free we are all imprisoned!

Ahmad Sa’adatComrade Ahmad Sa’adat, General Secretary of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, issued a letter through his lawyer from isolation in occupation prisoners, on behalf of himself and his comrades and brothers in the prisons, calling for unifying all efforts of political and social forces and national institutions to manage and organize a unified support movement for the prisoners. The letter stated that the issue of prisoners is a unifying issue and a new lever for overcoming the division and building united action to bring together all sincere national efforts for the prisoners.

Comrade Sa’adat emphasized that all options, methods and tactics are open in order to achieve the freedom of all prisoners, and that this item must be present at the top of the agenda for all national and Islamic forces.

He said further that Prisoners’ Day this year coincides with the people’s spring of change in the Arab world, created by the ripple effects of the freedom fighters and revolutionaries of Tunisia and Egypt, as well as the mobilization of young people to end division and occupation and rebuild the foundations of the Palestinian national cause. He expressed his greetings to the steadfast Palestinian people in every place they are, and called for them to stay on the same track - towards liberation.

Comrade Atiyeh Bassiouni presented Comrade Sa’adat’s letter during his speech at the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day rally in Gaza City on April 17, 2011, organized by the National and Islamic Forces. He emphasized that the restoration of national unity is a priority of the prisoners’ movement, embodied in every action, including through its document, the National Accord document that presents a framework to end the division on a basis of united struggle against occupation. He emphasized the commitment and dedication to core Palestinian objectives and principles expressed by Palestinian prisoners, from the darkest prisons of the occupation; Comrade Bassiouni said they embody the triumph of a spirit of freedom over the will of the executioner in prisons, interrogation centers, and torture cells.

He added that the ever-increasing racism of the Zionist state is evident in its practices against Palestinian prisoners, including ongoing repression and persecution, the targeting and threatening of prisoners’ lives, and systematic and purposeful attacks on Palestinian prisoners’ rights. He noted that this threat requires ever more attention and advocacy on Palestinian, Arab and international levels, and called for a strong media campaign to express the voices of the prisoners in coordination with Arab, Palestinian and international media activists and organizations.

 

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