Bili'in villager Abu Rahmah ends prison sentence for anti-wall protests

Bili'in villager Abu Rahmah ends prison sentence for anti-wall protests - but still detained

Abdallah Abu Rahmah, the anti-wall activist from Bil'in village, is being kept in prison despite having completed his sentence for the 'crime' of organising an 'illegal march' – yet another example of the undemocratic nature of the Israeli state.

An Israeli military court has prevented the release of a West Bank activist even though he has already served his one year prison sentence.

The president of the military court of appeals Monday ordered Abdallah Abu Rahmah -- whose case has drawn international attention -- to stay in prison after a last minute petition by the Israeli Military Prosecution to extend his sentence.

Abu Rahmah was convicted of incitement for organizing weekly demonstrations in the West Bank village of Bil'in against what Israel calls its security barrier and Palestinians call the apartheid separation wall. Israel says the barrier is needed for security, Palestinians say it is a land grab which cuts through village farmlands. The protests started five years ago.

The Popular Struggle Coordination Committee, the group to which Abu Rahmah belongs to said in a statement, "The decision contradicts the jurisprudence of the Israeli Supreme Court on the issue, instructing that a prisoner should only be kept under arrest after his term was over in the most extraordinary of cases." more

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