ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY: RELEASE AYMAN BANI OWDA IMMEDIATELY

Dear Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and Brig. Gen. Orly Markman,

I urge you to immediately and unconditionally release Ayman Bani Owda, a prominent Palestinian human rights defender and social worker, who is currently held in Gilboa prison in northern Israel.

On November 17, 2025, Ayman Bani Owda, a 43-year-old resident of the town of Tammoun (Tubas Governorate), was detained by the Israeli military when he arrived at the village of Fasayil to document the daily ordeals of a Palestinian community facing the imminent threat of forcible transfer.

For two days, Bani Owda was held incommunicado while Israeli police and the military denied holding him. After sustained pressure, the Israeli army disclosed that he had been held at the Samra military base in the Jordan Valley where he was kept outdoors, handcuffed, and physically assaulted.

On December 14, 2025, an Israeli military court upheld a six-month administrative detention order against him. He is among thousands of Palestinians held without charge or trial. He is being arbitrarily detained solely for his human rights work.

I urge you to immediately and unconditionally release Ayman Bani Owda and in the meantime, ensure he is treated humanely and protected from any form of torture and other ill-treatment.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]