Mohammad Allan back in Coma after Detention Suspension

Thursday, 20 August 2015

Mohammad Allan back in Coma after Detention Suspension

A Palestinian on a two-month hunger strike, Mohamamd Allan, was in a medically induced coma on Thursday after Israeli top court suspended his detention without trial, a hospital official said.

Israel's High Court late Wednesday temporarily ended Allan's administrative detention, but ordered him to remain in hospital pending a final decision on his case.

Doctors placed the 31-year-old in the coma due to his deteriorating condition on Wednesday before the court ruling, a hospital spokeswoman said.

He was said to be suffering brain damage, apparently due to a vitamin deficiency caused by his hunger strike. It was unclear whether the damage was permanent.

"Due to the petitioner's medical condition he will remain in intensive care," said the ruling on Allan's case.

Palestinian hunger striker Mohammad Allan

"This means that for now, owing to the hunger striker's medical condition, the administrative detention order is no longer operative."

But the court did not say that Allan was now a free man.

"After his condition stabilizes, if Allan asks to be moved to another hospital he is to apply to the authorities and in the case of difficulty or disagreement it will be possible to turn to the court," it added.

Allan went on hunger strike in protest at his internment under administrative detention, which allows people to be held without charge for six-month intervals that can be renewed indefinitely. He has been in custody since November 2014.

Allan has been on hunger strike on June 18, taking only water. He fell into a coma last Thursday night.

Earlier on Tuesday, he regained consciousness Tuesday after being in a coma for several days but pledged to resume fasting if the Zionist authorities did not resolve his case within 24 hours.

Doctors have since been intravenously giving him water, vitamins and salts and he was connected to a respirator.