Munther Amira, a Palestinian human rights advocate and social worker, was released from administrative detention on February 29. He had been detained at Ofer Military Prison in the occupied West Bank since December 18, 2023. An Israeli military court confirmed a four-month administrative detention order against him on January 11, 2024.
NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.
Munther Amira, a 53-year-old human rights advocate, was forcefully arrested at his home in the Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem, on December 18, 2023. During the raid, Israeli soldiers forcibly separated him from his family, handcuffed his children, stripped one of his sons, and assaulted his brother. Initially accused of posting incitements to violence on Facebook, Amira faced no formal charges due to lack of evidence. Consequently, he was placed under a four-month administrative detention, confirmed on December 31, 2023, and reaffirmed by an Israeli military judge on January 11, 2024.
When I was told by my lawyer in Ofer prison that Amnesty International is planning to campaign on my case, it gave me so much strength- I felt that I was not alone, that I haven’t been forgotten, that Israel’s attempts to make us disappear behind bars, to silence us, have not actually succeeded.
Munther Amira
Amnesty International, unable to verify the Facebook posts’ authorship, found no evidence of incitement in the posts attributed to Amira. Previously recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience in 2018 for his involvement in peaceful protests, Amira has faced multiple arrests and harassment for his activism and human rights work.
In a statement shared with the Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territories Team after his release, Munther Amira said, “As a freed detainee, I have witnessed firsthand the unimaginable horrors faced by my fellow Palestinians behind bars. Yet, despite these atrocities, the spirit of the Palestinian people remains unbroken, their resolve unwavering.”
Munther Amira also added that “When I was told by my lawyer in Ofer prison that Amnesty International is planning to campaign on my case, it gave me so much strength- I felt that I was not alone, that I haven’t been forgotten, that Israel’s attempts to make us disappear behind bars, to silence us, have not actually succeeded.”
