....LMB: "Garrick in Prison!"....

August 05, 2003

Just received at email about our pal Garrick, an LA peace activist in Palestine.

The short version is that Garrick was attacked by Israeli soldiers and then arrested. He faces a type of trial in which he will most likely be deported and shipped back to the United States. The email lists some ways you can take action to get Garrick out of jail but keep him in Israel/Occupied Territories so he can continue his activism. Here is that email:

Free Garrick Ruiz Without Deportation!

Los Angeles Area Contact: Matt Horton (323) 341-6716

Note: *International Press Release Follows Local Press Release*

At 8am today (Palestinian time), Los Angeles native Garrick Ruiz was arrested along with 45 human rights activists who were trying to stop Israel's "Apartheid Wall" in the Ma'sha area near the Palestinian City of Qalqiliyah (Kal-Key-Lee-Ah).

Within 5 minutes of arriving at the Peace Camp in Ma'sha, Garrick was grabbed by three soldiers while another kicked him is his ribs. At 10am, the activists (Palestinian, Israeli and International), were taken to the Ariel Settlement Prison, where they are currently being held.

Garrick has since been able to see an army doctor, but has not recieved medical care for his possible broken ribs.

The activists are currently undergoing individual hearings by an officer from the Israeli ministry of affairs who has the power to order deportations. The activists are not permitted contact or the presence of lawyers in these hearings.

The mass detention of the 45 activists follows another incident in which a peace camp blocking the wall was attacked by the Israeli army and many activists were shot with rubber coated steel bullets and one American activist was grazed by a live round.

ACTION ALERT:

Please flood the Ministry of Interior with phone calls asking that ALL the detainees be released. Let them know that you are watching and protest the Israeli government's attempts to deport peace activists witnessing and trying to prevent abuses against Palestinian human rights.

You can phone the Ministry of Interior at:
011 972 2 670 1648

You can also flood Ariel prison with calls demanding the immediate release of all detainees. The best numbers to call are the officers but if they are unreachable, please call the General Info line.

Ariel Prison General Info:
011 972 3 906 5444

Ariel Chief of Police
011 972 3 906 5416

Prison Officer Haim Fadlan:
011 972 3 906 5406

The email I got then continued with the "international press release."

** OVER 45 HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS DETAINED TODAY, 8/5/03 **

DETAINEES ARE FROM PALESTINE, ISRAEL, U.S., U.K., ITALY, SWEDEN,
FRANCE, DENMARK, JAPAN, IRELAND, GERMANY AND CANADA

[Occupied West Bank] At approximately 7am this morning, Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights activists were detained while attempting to block the demolition of part of a Palestinian family's home, near the village of Mas'ha. The building had been slated for demolition by the Israeli Military because it lay in the path of the Apartheid Wall that Israel is building on occupied Palestinian land.

The peace activists were violently thrown on busses by Israeli soldiers and border police. Two internationals were beaten; one, a US citizen from Los Angeles, was repeatedly kicked in the stomach and may have sustained broken ribs. Immediately, a Caterpillar bulldozer moved in to demolish part of the family home (an animal shed attached to the home).

Though it's difficult to communicate with the detainees and we are unsure of the final numbers, the detainees we know of are from the following countries:

11 US
1 Canada
1 Japan
6 UK
1 Ireland
4 Sweden
1 Denmark
8 Italian
2 France
5 Israel
3 Palestinians

Detainees are being held at Ariel Prison in the illegal settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank. One Palestinian and one Italian have been put under formal arrest.

The others, the Israeli Ministry of Interior is currently deciding what they want to do with.

One option is for them to deport the internationals. To our knowledge, the Ministry of Interior has not yet issued a decision.

Please flood the Ministry of Interior with phone calls from around the world, asking that ALL the detainees be released. Let them know that you are watching and protest the Israeli government's attempts to deport peace activists witnessing and trying to prevent abuses against Palestinian human rights.

You can phone the Ministry of Interior at:
011 972 2 670 1648

You can also flood Ariel prison with calls demanding the immediate release of all detainees. The best numbers to call are the officers but if they are unreachable, please call the General Info line.

Ariel Prison General Info:
011 972 3 906 5444

Ariel Chief of Police
011 972 3 906 5416

Prison Officer Haim Fadlan:
011 972 3 906 5406

For some photos, please see:

http://www.palsolidarity.org/pictures/PHOTOS_5Aug03_09_19_35Qalqiliaism.htm

http://www.palsolidarity.org/pictures/PHOTOS_5Aug03_10_02_37Qalqiliamas`ha2.htm

For video footage, Reuters (011 972-2-5370502) and still photos from freelance photographer Eyal Ofer (011 972-55-369365 www.pbase.com/yalop/masha ). [Ofer got closer than other journalists, and was shortly arrested himself.]

For further information, contact the ISM media office on 011 972 2 277 4602,

You can also email the ISM office at info@palsolidarity.org, but re sponses to email may be slower.

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT www.palsolidarity.org

Update on Mas'ha activities

Mas'ha, Occupied Palestine, August 3, 2003

A One-Family Bantustan Must Not Be Allowed

Today Palestinians, along with 50 internationals and 10 Israeli activists prevented the demolition of Palestinian property and blocked the construction of the Apartheid Wall in front of Hani A'amer's house. He and his family live in the village of Mas'ha, where for months Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals have been holding an Anti-Wall camp.

If the wall is completed as planned, Hani, Munira and their 6 children will be imprisoned between the Apartheid Wall and the fence of the illegal Elkana settlement. They will only be able to leave the house three times a day under the control of security guards, virtual prisoners on their own land.

Bulldozers began construction on the Wall at approximately7am about 20m from the house. The Israeli Military and police were called in to evict the activists. The Palestinians, Internationals and Israelis linked arms around the property as the owner of the house, representatives of the National Committee against the Wall, the ISM, IWPS, and Israeli peace organizations all held a press conference for the media who were covering the action.

Because the activists and the media were there to protect the family, construction was halted for the day, and the contractor informed the protestors there will be no work on the site of Hani A'amer's house for the next two months.

However, the activists have pledged to keep a presence in the Mas'ha peace camp erected in front of the house and hold the contractor to his promise. They want to insure that there is no further attempt to continue the path of the Wall.

Protesters will demand a written guarantee from the Israeli Defense Ministry that the house will not be cut off from its village. They are also demanding that Israeli Military immediately repair the water pipes of the house damaged by the construction.

They have given the authorities until Wednesday to respond, then they will do further action.

This camp is just one part of the campaign against the Apartheid Wall that demands:

Stopping the wall construction and demolishing the current Apartheid Wall

Repairing and compensating for the damage caused

Returning confiscated land

Dismantling the settlements

The end of the occupation

Contact Maria 055 376 204
Saif 055 829 680