Vigils mark Palestinian Prisoners' Day

On Sunday, 17 April, Palestinian Prisoners' Day was marked around the world with hundreds of events, prayer vigils and lobbies, organised by human rights groups, and churches.

At the end of March this year, Israel was holding more 7,000 Palestinians, including children, as political prisoners, including hundreds held in administrative detention without charge or trial. These include Mohammad Abu Sakha, a Palestinian circus performer who was arrested on his way to work as a teacher.

In Kentish Town, north London, the Camden Abu Dis Friendship Association (CADFA) held a street vigil on Sunday afternoon. CADFA runs health and education projects for women and young people in Palestine, and campaigns against child imprisonment (children as young as eight have been arrested by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank) settlement expansion, the Separation Wall, movement restriction and other human rights violations.

A member of the group said: "Mohammad Abu Sakha is one of many people arrested for no reason and held without charge. There has been an increase in these arrests in recent months. This breaks all international laws and would not be allowed anywhere else in the developed world."

For more information about CADFA, visit their website: www.camdenabudis.net