Launch from S. Africa's historic Robben Island of Palestinian prisoner campaign (with events in CT, DBN, JHB South Africa)

Members of the media are invited to the international "Free Marwan Barghouti and all Palestinian Political Prisoners" campaign launch this Sunday (27 October) from the historic South African landmark of Robben Island, where anti-apartheid struggle icons Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada and others were imprisoned during Apartheid. At the launch from Robben Island, BDS South Africa will also be announcing and detailing an upcoming South African boycott campaign against G4S Security, the international security company contracted in 2007 to equip and service Israeli prisons, torture centres and detention facilities where Palestinian political detainees are held. Following the Robben Island launch, public events will be held in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.

Members of the press wishing to attend are requested to urgently forward their name, surname, ID/Passport number, name of the media house that they represent and a copy of their ID/Passport to info@kathradafoundation.org. The return cost for the ferry from Cape Town to Robben Island for members of the media will be covered by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation.

CAPE TOWN PALESTINE PRISONER SOLIDARITY RALLY
DAY: Sunday, 27 October
TIME: 18h00
WHERE: Drommedaris Hall, Good Hope Centre
ADDRESS: Christiaan Barnard Street, Cape Town
CONTACT: 0823731143 / 0762431185 / info@kathradafoundation.org

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DURBAN PALESTINE PRISONER SOLIDARITY RALLY
DAY: Tuesday, 29 October
TIME: 19h00
WHERE: Durban Art Gallery, Durban City Hall
ADDRESS: 2nd Floor, Durban Art Gallery, Durban City Hall, Anton Lembede Street (Smith St.), Durban
CONTACT: 0823731143 / 0762431185 / info@kathradafoundation.org

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DURBAN PALESTINE PRISONER FUNDRAISING DINNER
DAY: Wednesday, 30 October
TIME: 18h30
WHERE: NMJ Hall
ADDRESS: Mountain View Avenue (off Hendry Road), Morningside, Durban
CONTACT AND RSVP: 0823731143 / 0762431185 / 0827757860

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JOHANNESBURG PALESTINE PRISONER SOLIDARITY RALLY
DAY: Thursday, 31 October
TIME: 18h30
WHERE: Baitun Noor Centre
ADDRESS: Topaas Street, Extension 5, Lenasia
CONTACT: 0823731143 / 0762431185 / info@kathradafoundation.org

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JOHANNESBURG PALESTINE PRISONER & HUMAN RIGHTS SYMPOSIUM (with final media briefing)
DAY: Saturday, 02 November
TIME: 09h00
WHERE: Constitutional Hill, Braamfontein
CONTACT: 0823731143 / 0762431185 / info@kathradafoundation.org
HOSTS: The Foundation for Human Rights, Constitutional Hill and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation

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The Robben Island launch and follow up events in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg will be addressed (in person) by Ms. Fadwa Bargouti (wife of Marwan Barghouti and head of the Palestinian based Popular Campaign for the Release of Marwan Barghouti & All Palestinian Political Prisoners), Azzam Ahmad (Former Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Palestinian delegation to the international Inter-Parliamentary Union), Qaddura Fares (Former Palestinian Minister of Detainees), Majed Bamya (Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Shawqi Issa (Director of Ensan, the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Human Rights), Sahar Francis (Director of Addameer, the Palestinian Prisoner Support & Human Rights Association), Helmi Al Araj (Director of Hurriyat), Nasser Alrayyes (Al Haq, the Palestinian Human Rights Organization), Yasser Amouri (Birzeit University) and Luisa Morgantini (the former Vice President of the European Parliament). The Palestinian delegates will be accompanied by Ahmed Kathrada and a host of other former South African political prisoners. To arrange interviews contact 0823731143 / 0762431185.

The Palestinian based "Popular Campaign for the Release of Marwan Barghouti and all Palestinian Political Prisoners" and the "Ahmed Kathrada Foundation" are the primary organisers of the Robben Island launch and public events. Ahmed Kathrada launched the "Free Nelson Mandela and all South African Political Prisoners" campaign in 1962, just prior to his own arrest and subsequent imprisonment with Nelson Mandela and others on Robben Island (click here for a short YouTube video by actor Morgan Freeman on the life and legacy of Ahmed Kathrada). Now half a century later, the 84-year-old anti-apartheid struggle veteran, is launching yet another campaign for an iconic freedom fighter, Marwan Barghouti, commonly dubbed "Palestine's Mandela". Barghouti is one of the most prominent --of over 5000-- Palestinian political prisoners currently detained in Israeli prisons and jails. He was abducted in 2002 by the Israeli army and thereafter tried, convicted and sentenced to five life sentences. At his trial in 2002, Barghouti refused to participate in its proceedings maintaining that his abduction and the Israeli trial were illegal and illegitimate. In 2011 the international Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) found that Barghouti’s abduction, arrest and transfer to Israeli territory was in violation of international law. The IPU, together with other international human rights organisations, have subsequently called for his immediate release.

Over 750 000 Palestinians (roughly 40% of Palestinian men) have been imprisoned by Israel at one point in time. About 100 000 Palestinians have been held by Israel in "administrative detention" (the equivalent of Apartheid South Africa's "Detention without trial"). In the last 11 years alone, more than 7500 Palestinian children have been detained in Israeli prisons and detention facilities (including being held in solitary confinement) with Muhammad Daoud Dirbas, at the age of six, being the youngest Palestinian child to have been detained by Israeli soldiers - such practices are considered illegal under international law. Similar to the experience of Black families under Apartheid, almost every Palestinian family has been affected by the Israeli imprisonment of a relative. Currently, as of October 2013, there are over 5000 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel; 137 of them are being held under Israel's "administrative detention" (Apartheid South Africa's "Detention Without Trial") and 180 of them are children.

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