Former Palestinian political prisoner spoke in Omagh

A PROMINENT Palestinian campaigner and rights activist spoke in Omagh’s Community House on Friday, April 21.

Salah Hammouri is a French-Palestinian lawyer and field researcher who spent time in an Israeli prison as a political prisoner.

He is currently living in France after he was deported there from his home country due to his wife’s French citizenship. Currently, he cannot return home to Jerusalem.

Human rights group Amnesty International described Hammouri’s current situation as a ‘major human rights violation’.

On Friday, Hammouri addressed a crowd in Omagh’s Community House about the plight of Palestinian political prisoners in Israel and the current situation in his homeland.

This event was also to celebrate Palestinian Prisoners’ Day 2023 on Friday.

It was organised by Omagh’s branch of Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) which campaign for justice for the Palestinian people.

A spokesperson said they were ‘honoured’ to have the campaigner come to Omagh.

They said, “We are honoured to have Salah Hammouri come to Omagh to do this talk which will explain how Palestinian political prisoners are being treated in Israeli prisons.

“Salah Hammouri’s liberty, work and freedom of expression have been attacked during his entire life. He was first shot and jailed by Israeli occupation forces while protesting at the age of 16, and he has spent nine of his 37 years – almost half his adult life – in Israeli prisons.

“This repression culminated in seven months’ internment without trial followed, last December, by deportation from his homeland.

“His case has been highlighted by Amnesty International, Frontline Defenders, and the International Federation for Human Rights.”

The free event took place Friday, April 21 at 7.30pm in Omagh Community House.