Dear PLO diplomatic mission in Helsinki,
It has been brought to our attention that four Palestinians who peacefully protested the performance of a dance group that had performed in Israel have been arrested in Ramallah on April 12. The four men, Zaid Shuaibi, Fajr Harb, Fadi Quran and Abd al-Fatah Hamayel, have been charged with ‘disturbing the peace’ and ‘provoking a riot’, and the first hearing of the case is today.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and a number of Palestinian organizations have already rallied in support to peaceful protest. ICAHD Finland joins these organisations in calling for the charges to be dropped immediately.
In addition to violating basic freedoms that should be guaranteed to all, the charges are particularly problematic as they target BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) activists, who are struggling for the realisation of the rights of all Palestinians.
We are a part of this movement. For example, we are currently campaigning to end the arms trade between Finland and Israel and for the transportation company Veolia to be excluded from contracts in the Helsinki area due to its complicity in Israel’s illegal settlements, to mention two examples. These spurious charges are not only an attack on the four accused, but also against the global BDS movement, very much including us.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Bruno Jäntti
Chair of ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions) Finland