Hamdi al-Ta’mari goes free

After being imprisoned without trial for nearly a year a wave of cards and letters from Amnesty International members sets a 17-year-old boy free.

“I received one letter from Amnesty International members at the beginning, that was the first one. Later the guards refused to pass on the letters to me, they just asked, 'Where are you getting all these letters from?' That way I knew I had many letters and that people knew about me, which made the guards pay attention.”

Hamdi al-Ta’mari is a 17-year-old student from the West Bank. In December 2008 he was arrested by the Israeli military and held in administrative detention.

Under this system the Israeli authorities do not have to show any evidence against the person put in prison. Hundreds of people, including around 300 children, are currently held under administrative detention without any idea of the evidence, if any, against them.

Amnesty International members from all over the world wrote letters and sent cards to Hamdi. They also wrote to the Israeli authorities demanding his relase. In December 2009 Hamdi walked free. He is now planning to resume his studies and hopes to go to university.

“I showed the cards to my friends and explained to them about Amnesty. I will keep all the cards. I would like to thank all the people who remembered me and sent me their good wishes, and I send them my greetings from Bethlehem.”

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