Archbishop of Canterbury protests illegal imprisonment of Layan Nasir

Damon Prison - Wiki Image

The Archbishop of Canterbury has protested at the continued illegal imprisonment of the young Palestinian Christian woman Layan Nasir. Dr Justin Welby wrote on X this morning:

"I lament yesterday's decision by an Israeli military court to renew Layan Nasir's administrative detention for a further four months.

This young Palestinian Christian from Birzeit in the West Bank has been held in detention since 6 April on classified evidence that leaves her facing unknown allegations with no way to disapprove them - not knowing when she will be released, all the time without being charged, tried or convicted.

This is an egregious state of affairs, as is the fact that her transfer outside the West Bank to Damon Prison is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

I ask the Israeli Government to look again at her case and that she be released. The widespread and routine manner in which Israel uses administrative detention of Palestinians as an instrument of Occupation is deeply discriminatory. It cannot be legally or morally justified. May God watch over Layan during her detention and comfort her family at this testing time."

#FreeLayan