Urgent Action: RELEASE TERMINALLY ILL PALESTINIAN PRISONER (IOPT 78.23)

*April Outcome: Death in Custody 

To read the full press release issued on April 8, 2024, please click here*

Walid Daqqah is a terminally ill Palestinian prisoner who was diagnosed with a rare case of bone marrow cancer. Since October 7, 2023, Walid Daqqah has been tortured, humiliated, denied family visits, and has faced further medical neglect. During this period, he was transferred to the hospital twice due to health deterioration. In March 2023, Walid Daqqah completed a 37-year sentence for his involvement with an armed group that had abducted and killed an Israeli soldier in 1984. However, in 2018, an Israeli court sentenced him to a further two years in prison, delaying his release until March 2025, a date which he may not live to see. The Israeli authorities must immediately release Walid Daqqah on humanitarian grounds and allow him to spend his remaining time with his family.

take action:

• Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
• Click here to let us know the actions you took on Second Urgent Action 78.23. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

contact information:

sample letter:

Dear President Herzog,

I am writing to urge you to pardon Walid Daqqah, a terminally ill Palestinian prisoner, and to release him immediately on humanitarian grounds. In 2022, Walid Daqqah was diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer, which was exacerbated by medical neglect in prison. According to two medical evaluations, he faces imminent danger to his life, and his health condition is extremely complicated.

In recent months, and despite his well-known and documented health situation, Walid Daqqah was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment. For nearly a month, he was kept in the extremely over-crowded Gilboa prison, deprived of access to proper hygiene, and denied access to adequate medical care. As a result, he had to be transferred to the hospital twice due to health deterioration.

Since October 7, 2023, Walid Daqqah has been denied any contact with his family and was only allowed to meet with his lawyer once. Walid is due to be released from prison on March 25, 2025. Yet, with the dire medical prognosis, he may not live to see this day.    

I urge you to pardon Walid Daqqah on humanitarian grounds and allow his immediate release from prison. Pending his release, I also urge you to ensure that the Israeli prison authorities grant Walid Daqqah his right to the adequate and specialized healthcare, and to immediately resume family visits, which have been arbitrarily denied to all Palestinian prisoners and detainees since October 7. 

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

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