Local Editor

Muhammed al-Qeq, arrested and detained without trial for six months by "Israeli" security service, is in critical condition after 50 days into his hunger strike. He is the first Palestinian journalist to protest extrajudicial detention by refusing food.

Al-Qeq, 33, was arrested on November 21 by the Zionist "Shin Bet" security service, which accused him of links to the resistance movement "Hamas." Seven weeks ago, he launched a hunger strike in protest at being detained without charges or due legal process, refusing food and only drinking water.

Al-Qeq's wife, Faiha'a Shalash, told media that enemy soldiers arrested him in his house in Ramallah, citing as justification alleged media incitement to violence. She further added that her husband was made to suffer inhuman and degrading treatment while in a Zionist detention center.

Shalash, a journalist herself, said the accusation of incitement to violence does not fit with reality and "depends on news reports made by Mohammed as a journalist and as it was his work." She is confident al-Qeq was detained because he described the "Israelis" as an occupying force committing crimes against humanity in the West Bank.

Relatively, al-Qeq's brother added: "It is about showing the reality in Palestine objectively, "Israel" doesn't want a Palestinian journalist to show the reality to the international community objectively."

For his part, al-Qeq's lawyer reported that he lost over 20 kilograms after 50 days into the hunger strike, describing his health condition as critical.

"He lost consciousness while walking to the toilet. On Saturday morning, the prison guards forced him to give a blood sample despite his physical exhaustion," the lawyer said, adding he suspects the "Israeli" authorities are going to use force-feeding - widely recognized as torture.

"I think if the occupiers feed Muhammad according to the law that came into effect two months ago, he will die. My experience since the 1970s has shown that force-feeding can have a lethal outcome," he warned.

In parallel, the Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms [MADA] called on the international community to press on the "Israeli" authorities to free al-Qeq. "MADA urges all international human rights and freedom of expression organizations to put pressure on the "Israeli" occupation government to release al-Qeq to save his life, which is under imminent threat due to his hunger strike," it said in a statement.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team