We are here today to demand freedom for Sheikh Khader Adnan and all Palestinian political prisoners

Sheikh Khader Adnan was abducted by the Israeli occupation forces three days ago on Tuesday 8th July 2014.

A former Palestinian political prisoner, Sheikh Khader Adnan is known as the father of the hunger strikers - the symbol of Palestinian resistance and steadfastness.

In 2011 he was abducted and caged indefinitely without any charged or trial under Israel's illegal system of punitive administrative detention. To protest his illegal imprisonment he went on hunger strike and won his freedom. His successful 66 day hunger strike in 2012 - the longest in Palestinian history at the time, inspired over 1600 other Palestinian prisoners to hunger strike. Since his release Sheikh Khader Adnan has been the voice of the Palestinian political prisoners, ceaselessly defending their rights at every opportunity and thus is a thorn in the side of the occupation.

Sheikh Khader Adnan is a father of 6 children. Youngest are triplets just 8 months old - Ali, Hamza and Mohammed; his other son is aged 2 - Abd-Al-Rahman. His two daughters are Maali - the eldest just 6 years old, and Besan 4 years old. Khader Adnan has a degree in Mathematics, and runs a bakery in the town of Arrabah near Jenin in the West Bank.

On Tuesday 8th July 2014 he was returning home to share the Iftar meal with his family after the Ramadan fast when he was abducted at a temporary checkpoint the occupation had illegally set up near his home town. Since his abduction he is being held in limbo - he is denied a lawyer and his family are not allowed to see him. The occupation hasn't even told his family where he is being caged or what his condition is.

The family thinks he is being held in Megiddo prison but cannot be sure. Megiddo prison is in Israel, the transfer of Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank to Israel is illegal under international law at it breaks the fourth Geneva Convention. Megiddo prison like many other Israeli dungeons is secured by the British security company G4S. Today we are protesting outside the headquarters of G4S to demand G4S stop your complicity with the Israeli occupation. G4S stop your complicity in Israeli war crimes. Shame on you!

Last year Sheikh Khader Adnan addressed the crowds in London at the Al Quds Day via a video message which was played at the rally outside the US Embassy. Before his abduction Sheikh Khader Adnan had again graciously agreed to address this years London Al Quds Day rally on 25th July via a video link, but now he is languishing in an Israeli dungeon. His family have sent us a short message, it reads:

"Sheikh Khader Adnan was supposed to address you directly like the last year when he addressed you in your demonstration on Al Quds International Day, but the zionist forces kidnapped him on tuesday at a temporary check point near his town where he was driving back to his home to have the iftar meal with his family after a long fasting day. He has been imprisoned in the Israeli jails many times since 1999 when he was a student in Birzeit university and the last time was in December 2011 when he went on 66 days of heroic hunger strike and many Palestinian prisoners made the same. Here we greet you and your support and solidarity with our cause specially what is related to Jerusalem and the prisoners."


We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Khader Adnan and all other Palestinian political prisoners. Thank you.

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