'Stand in solidarity with al-Shalab on Intl. Women’s Day'

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and various other groups have called for this year’s International Women’s Day to be declared a day of solidarity with imprisoned Palestinian activist Hana Al-Shalabi. Al-Shalabi is still on the hunger strike that she announced to protest against her re-arrest, after she had previously been released in the "Wafaa Al-Ahrar" prison-swap deal between Hamas and Israel in October 2011. International Women’s Day is commemorated on March 8. Al-Shalabi, a member of Islamic Jihad, had spent two and a half years in prison without charge or trial under Israel’s so-called “administrative detention” between September 2009 and October 2011. Al-Shalbi says she was subjected to an embarrassing body search by a male Israeli soldier upon being detained and was assaulted when she resisted. Al-Shalbi says prison authorities have put her in periodic solitary confinement as punishment for her hunger strike. More than 300 Palestinians are currently being held in administrative detention, which allows Israeli authorities to imprison anyone for a period of up to 6 months without any formal charges or trial.