Demand the immediate release of cultural workers imprisoned by Israel and an end to the global targeting of artists and activists through criminalisation.
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A BRIEF CONTEXT
"The purpose of the prison system exercised by the Israeli occupation is to stop you from practising the normal behaviour of rejecting the occupation, by removing you from the societal context to which you belong, excluding you behind high walls, and confining you to prison cell. When you get out of prison, the prison remains inside you. It takes a lot of strength to heal"
LOAI TAFESH
DANCER & CHOREOGRAPHER
HISTORY OF IMPRISONMENT
Across the decades, many famous Palestinian artists have been imprisoned by Israel, including poet Mahmoud Darwish.
The British Mandate set up a legal framework that was used to criminalise Palestinians who resisted colonial rule. Israel went on to adopt much of this legal framework, which it uses up until the present day to persecute Palestinians.
Since 1967, over 800,000 Palestinians have been detained and imprisoned by the Israeli military. It is a tactic used to destroy Palestinian society, cause widespread trauma and fear and suppress those who speak out including artists.
The prison system is created to break people psychologically and includes solitary confinement, sleep deprivation and torture. Legal access is highly restricted, and there is rarely a proper trial procedure. Sentences are judged by an Israeli military officer, who prioritises military orders over Israeli and international law. HaMoked an Israeli human rights group recorded that in March 2024 more than 9,000 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prison, including children. This does not include the unknown number of Palestinians from Gaza being held in military facilities.
ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION
Administrative detention is a system of imprisonment Israel uses under the guise of preventative security that requires no charges or trial. Detainment is by order of the regional military commander, based on “secret” evidence, which, therefore, cannot be disproven and most likely does not exist. First introduced during the British Mandate, imprisoned popular poet Nuh Ibrahim, noted in his diary about “new laws” that jailed mass scholars using fabricated charges. A sentence of administrative detention can be up to six months but can be renewed indefinitely. The longest recorded detainment under administrative detention is eight years.
Imprisonment through military trial and Administrative Detention is predominantly only used against Palestinians. This includes Palestinians who live in 48 and have Israeli citizenship. Poet Doreen Tatour from Nazareth was both imprisoned and then put under house arrest for nearly three years on charges of “incitement to violence and support for terror organisations”. These were similar charges Nur Ibrahim was convicted of by the British Mandate.
THE FREEDOM THEATRE
There are at least thirteen instances where staff and students at The Freedom Theatre have been detained and imprisoned. This includes at present, Producer Mustafa Sheta who is held under a six-month charge of Administrative Detention and Co-Founder Zakaria Zubeidi with little known of his situation.
CRIMINALISATION OF PALESTINIANS IN 48
Since October 2023, Palestinians with Israeli Citizenship have been increasingly censored from speaking out, including for simply liking a post on social media. Singer, producer, and doctoral researcher in brain sciences, Dalal Abu Amna was arrested on suspicion of “praise and incitement” for posting on social media, put in solitary confinement for two days and then placed under house arrest.
Palestinians with Israeli citizenship are also targeted through more general Israeli laws and lawsuits. This includes Mohammed Bakri, who has been dragged through the Israeli court system for over 20 years on defamation charges for his documentary “Jenin Jenin” on the 2002 Israeli invasion of Jenin Camp.
ln 2020, the Israeli Supreme Court upheld the decision that sharing a defamatory post on social media may incur liability under the Israeli Anti-Defamation law.
CRIMINALISATION INTERNATIONALLY
Internationally Palestinian artists and their allies are often silenced through criminalisation and threats of legal action. One example includes The Freedom Theatre and the production of The Siege that toured in the UK. Whilst unsuccessful, attempts were made to close the production down by claiming it glorified terrorism, a crime with serious consequences if convicted.
In France, there have been attempts to ban pro-Palestinian protests, and in many parts of Germany, Pro-Palestinian protests, the Palestinian flag, pro-Palestinian speech and the Keffiyeh have been banned, with schools in Berlin given official permission to do so. In England and Wales, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act has the potential to curb all forms of protest and in particular high-profile, creative and engaging protest, with politicians continually demonising pro-Palestinian marches. In Western countries, racism and islamophobia by police and in the criminal justice system means Black, Brown and muslim people are disproportionately targeted. As restrictions on protest and anything related to Palestine increase, so does state and police violence putting targeted groups in increasing danger especailly when challengling the right to Freedom Of Expression.
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
The persecution, killing or causing severe mental or physical harm to a person, including artists, is considered a crime against humanity and can be tried in the International Criminal Court.
LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL ARTISTS CURRENTLY IN PRISON >>
EXAMPLES OF ACTION TO INSPIRE YOUR OWN
ORGANISE A
CREATIVE PROTEST
In New York City artists and cultural workers organised a Cultural Resistance March, in the heart of the downtown theatre scene >>
SPEAK OUT AT
A PERFORMANCE
In Barcelona, a director speaks out on the stage after a performance at the Sala Beckett Theatre.
SPEAK OUT AT
A PROTEST
Nat from Vandal Factory in Leeds, speaks out about imprisoned Palestinian artists to a large crowd at a protest.
CREATE A
SOLIDARITY VIDEO
LEARN ABOUT & ADVOCATE FOR ABOLITION
Learn about and advocate for the abolition of the prison and police system both in Israel and your own country.
MAKE BADGES
Make badges to highlight Mustafa Sheta Producer of The Freedom Theatre imprisonment without trial or charge.
WRITE A PUBLIC
LETTER OR
PUBLISH A STATEMENT
When Mustafa Sheta was arrested ten countries organised public letters or statements inviting artists to sign. It was a great way to inform people in the cultural sector, find other allies and bring media attention to the issue.
GET YOUR UNION TO DEMAND THE RELEASE OF
IMPRISONED ARTISTS
In Norway the actors and dancers write a statement demanding the release of imprisoned artists including from Mustafa Sheta
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL
HUMAN RIGHTSORGANISATION
Informing or highliting your concerns with your local or national human rights groups helps spread the storry to a larger platform. When Pen International spoke out about attacks on The Freedom Theatre in 2023 it led to national press coverage
STAND UP AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY & FOR THE RIGHT TO PROTEST
Kill The Bill in the UK is one of many global movements standing up to state and police violence and the right to protest.
READ TESTIMONIES FROM THE REVOLUTION'S PROMISE
The Revolution's Promise is a collection of testimonies from Palestinian artists under attack. They are available to read, perform and share in multiple languages at public events, protests, Universities and in your local community or groups. There is also a full-length script of 1hr, put together from some of the stories.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE REVOLUTION'S PROMISE >>
Below are testimonies in English specific to artists who have been imprisoned or faced criminalisation.
AHMED TOBASI
ATTACKS & IMPRISONMENTS AT THE FREEDOM THEATRE, 2023
Ahmed Tobasi, Artistic Director of The Freedom Theatre, speaks of the recent attacks on cultural venue and its team as part of a long history of Israeli targeting of the theatre.
HALA SHETA
ON THE ARREST OF HER FATHER PRODUCER MUSTAFA SHETA 2023
Hala Sheta is a 14-year-old participant in The Freedom Theatre and daughter to Mustafa Sheta, the producer of the theatre. Here she details the day her father was taken in December 2023 and imprisoned until now by the Israeli army.
MOHAMMED BAKRI
ON 20 YEARS OF COURT TRAILS FOR MAKING A DOCUMENTARY, 2002 - 2020
The story of what drove Mohammed Bakri to film the award-winning documentary 'Jenin Jenin' days after the Israeli invasion of Jenin Refugee Camp in 2002 and the continuous harassment from the Israeli government ever since.
SUHAIL KHOURY
ON BEING IMPRISONED & TORTURED, 1988
Musician and composer Suhail Khoury tells the story of being arrested, imprisoned and tortured by Isreal in 1988 during the 1st Intifada for creating music tapes.
MOHAMMAD AL AZZA
ON BEING SHOT IN THE HEAD AND SURVIVING, 2013
Born and living in Aida Refugee Camp, Mohammad Al Azza is a documentarian and photographer and directs the Arts & Media Unit of Lajee Center in Aida Refugee Camp. In 2013 he was targeted and shot in the head by Israeli soldiers, an attack he survived.
DAREEN TATOUR
ON BEING IMPRISONED FOR WRITING POETRY, 2015 - 2018
Dareen speaks of the occupation and the violence towards women and children that led her to write the poem 'Resist My People Resist Them' and her consequent arrest and imprisonment.
RANIA ELIAS
ON ATTACKS ON YABOUS CULTURAL CENTRE, 1995 - 2021
Rania Elias tells on the challenges for Palestinians working in Jerusalem and the Israeli aggression towards Yabous and its staff, including her own detainment and interrogated.
MUHAMMAD ABU SAKHA
ON BEING IMPRISONED FOR CIRCUS, 2015
Muhammad Abu Sakha from the Palestinian Circus School speaks about being imprisoned in 2015 for two years.
On the 9 June 2023, Muhammad was once again taken by the Israeli army. On 10th July, the Israeli occupation military court ordered six months in administrative detention - imprisonment without charge or trial.