Qassam El Barghouti

We the undersigned, oppose the wrongful apprehension of the 19 year old Palestinian student Qassam El Barghouti .

On Wednesday the 24th of December 2003 the occupying Israeli forces detained our colleague Qassam El-Barghouti (19 years old). Qassam is the son of the renowned Palestinian leader Marwan El-Barghouti; he was apprehended while passing through the border from Jordon to the West Bank in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. He was going home to spend the mid-year vacation with his family since he is a student in the first year in the American University in Cairo. The Israeli Defense Force stated that Qassam is being held in a prison erected by the occupying Israeli forces near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. There are thousands of Palestinians imprisoned in this prison, most of them held without charge and many of them are women and children. All their lawful rights highlighted in pertinent conventions, treaties and international norms are constantly being breached. This is confirmed by the fact that this prison has been the subject of many reports by various national and international Human Rights Organizations owing to the criminal torture the prisoners are subjected to.

We demand that the Israeli government release Qassam El-Barghouti immediately as to ensure his continuation of his duties as a university student. In the case of the existence of any formal legal charges against him, the Israeli government will be required to contact the Palestinian Authority - which represents the national government responsible for Qassam - in regard to these accusations in accordance with international law.Since no realstic accusations were made , he is probably used as a weapon to pressure his father Marawan El Barghouti .
This case is a clear example of massive breaches of basic human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states :

Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person.

Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair, and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.


Unfortunately all these international rights were breached by Israeli Forces .

Therefore for the sake of humanity , Please take a stand with us and help fight this injustice. This is an opinion petition and as such can be signed by any person of any age living in any state or country. If you agree, please sign this petition and forward it to as many others as you know.