Friday, 8 April 2011

Ramallah protests continue as Abbas delays freeing prisoners

[ 07/04/2011 - 11:33 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Protests continue in Ramallah as youth await promised steps by Palestinian de facto president to free a list of men held for political reasons in the Palestinian Authority jails and demand an end to a media incitement campaign.

The protesters are sitting in at Manara Square in Ramallah and have gone on hunger strike since March 15.

They said in a statement on Thursday that they have met with the de facto president on April 3 at presidential headquarters in Ramallah after they were asked to do so by the president's office. The meeting was held to brief the demonstrators on the latest developments in Palestinian reconciliation and served as an attempt to convince them to end the hunger strike.

The meeting ended when Abbas promised to free the prisoners who have already been ruled as free men by the Palestinian Supreme Court. The protesters submitted a list of those names on Tuesday. They are also communicating with independent media organizations to inspect, monitor and try and end the current media incitement campaign.

The protesters are said to have been repeatedly attacked by elements from Fatah and the Palestinian Authority security agencies, as Fatah ”thugs” have beaten several of them and tried to set fire to their sit-in tent.

The PA has used several techniques to contain the sit-in and use it for Fatah interests, in a bid to thwart demands for a nullification of the Oslo Accords and for an end to security cooperation with Israel as well as the Israeli occupation and the national split.

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