Dear friends,
Days ago soldiers stormed my house in the dead of night and dragged my 16-year-old daughter to prison. Now my little girl is in a cold cell. I have dedicated my life to civil resistance. That's why the army is holding my baby -- they want to crush our spirit. But I have been a member of Avaaz for eight years -- I have seen the power of this community if we all stand together against injustice. My little girl's case goes to court on 31 January -- but Israel's military courts convict 99% of Palestinians, even if they are kids. Please join my urgent call below with one click -- we’ll deliver it directly to global leaders: Help free my daughter Ahed To all world leaders: "We demand the release of Ahed and all Palestinian children wrongly held in military prisons. The international community must put an end to the detention and ill-treatment of children in these prisons. Enough is enough. To Ahed and all the children in Israeli military jails: We stand by your side, and are holding you in our hearts. We will not give up until you are free. You are not alone." Help free my daughter Ahed When I saw her in court she was pale and shivering, shackled and clearly in pain. I wanted to cry but I couldn’t, I have to stay strong so she stays strong. Then the judge refused bail, and now my child could spend months or years behind bars before even getting a fair trial. There is no reason for her to be held like this! They took her away for slapping a heavily armed officer after his soldiers shot her little cousin in the face, shattering his skull. But instead of focusing on the shooting of a minor, they are focused on my girl and are now charging her with 12 crimes. Over 12,000 Palestinian children have been arrested since 2000! No matter where you stand on this conflict, we can all agree no child should be thrown into a military prison without a fair trial, and subjected to abuse. I have personally reached out to diplomats. But my voice alone is not strong enough. That's why I'm appealing to you to stand with me now. We know the military judges don’t want global attention on them, and Israel's politicians don't want the issue of child prisoners to become a massive public scandal. Add your name -- we only have days: Help free my daughter Ahed I have been inspired by this movement's strength and passion for freedom, justice, and creating a better world for the next generation. That's why I am reaching out to you -- because I know that if anyone can free my daughter and all the children it is the Avaaz community.
With hope and determination, Basem Tamimi with the Avaaz team PS -- The Avaaz team has prepared this fact sheet with more information about Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children. More information: Palestinian teen activist could face years in prison after slapping an Israeli soldier (ABC News) http://abcnews.go.com/International/palestinian-teen-activist-face-years-prison-slapping-israeli/story?id=51913049 Palestinian Ahed Tamimi arrested by Israeli forces (Al Jazeera) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/palestinian-ahed-tamimi-arrested-israeli-forces-171219174834758.html The Story Behind Ahed Tamimi's Slap: Her Cousin's Head Shattered by Israeli Soldier's Bullet (Haaretz) https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-behind-ahed-tamimi-s-slap-her-cousin-s-head-shattered-by-idf-bullet-1.5729500 Is This Where the Third Intifada Will Start? (New York Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/magazine/is-this-where-the-third-intifada-will-start.html Palestinian Ahed Tamimi to remain in jail during trial (Al Jazeera) http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/palestinian-ahed-tamimi-remain-jail-trial-180117132422405.html Palestine: Israeli Police Abusing Detained Children (Human Rights Watch) https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/04/11/palestine-israeli-police-abusing-detained-children |
