Human rights defenders beaten & tortured by the IDF for their non-violent acts

Across the West Bank Palestinians are resisting in peaceful ways against the Israeli occupation and the ongoing building of the separation wall. In the Bethlehem area the path of the wall advances and continues to economically and socially devastate families and villages. There are many Palestinians who devote and risk their lives and livelihoods in the non-violent struggle against the wall and the occupation.

Mohammed Brajiayah is from the village of Al-Masara south of Bethlehem city. The wall is planned to run through the land of Al-Masara. It will cut it off from much of its hinterland and neighbouring villages and it will all take a significant amount of the villages land. Mohammed is one of the organisers of a weekly Friday protest against the plans. The demonstrations are peaceful but on May 1st the IDF started firing tear gas and bullets and Mohammed was arrested, beaten and imprisoned for a week.

'My hands were tied behind my back and a soldier came and he tried to choke me with his hands around my neck. He was trying to kill me. I think he would have were it not for my Israeli friend who was nearby with a camera. I was also beaten in Etzion after being taken away from the protest. During questioning they challenged and harassed me and told me that I would pay for my protest. I was imprisoned in Ofra. My brother Hasan is still in Ofra since being arrested that day. Five of us were arrested that day.

The road we protest on takes you to the land that they want to build the wall on. I want to die for my land. I love my land and my people I will die for them. Since arrest I am not allowed to attend the protest anymore. If I am seen there I will be arrested again and imprisoned for 18 months. I am suffering because I cannot participate in this.'

Ziad Hmaidan works as a field worker in the Bethlehem area with Al-Haq, the Palestinian human rights organisation: 'I was arrested in 1995. At the time I was active in the student council in Bethlehem University. I used to speak and advocate for an end to the occupation. This time they put me in jail for one month – for no reason, only that I was speaking in this way. In 1996 I was put in jail for two months. I was tortured badly this time, in a way I prefer not to talk about now. Then I was kept in administrative detention for six months.

I started as a field worker with Al-Haq in 2000. In 2005 I was in interrogation for one month and after that I was kept in administrative detention for two years. They claimed I was involved with terrorists and dangerous people. As a field worker for Al-Haq we must speak to all people and I met people from military wings in their houses.

Al-Haq launched a campaign for my release with Amnesty, Frontline and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland. It took them two years to get me out but I consider myself lucky as I know people who have been in administrative detention – without charge – for five years. For them you are a terrorist until the last minute and then when they release you are a good guy. You spend all this time imprisoned without knowing why.'

Awad Abu-Sway has been involved in the struggle since the first intifada and since 2005 specifically against the separation wall in Bethlehem. In 2007 the IDF came to his picturesque and fertile village of Artas to uproot apricot trees in order to dig a channel for what Awad believes will be a sewage plant for the illegal settlement of Efrat, which overlooks Artas. Awad protested non-violently.

'I was arrested and held for six days. They said that I hit a soldier but of course I did not - they arrested me because they simply wanted me off the land. My Jewish attorney from Peace Now helped me. When they arrested me they threw me on the ground, held my hands behind my back and sat on me, one soldier put his foot on my neck. We had a photo of this and this was important for the court.

From the time of my arrest to the arrival in the station in Etzion they took four hours to get there – it should only take seven minutes. One soldiers said 'Now you don't have media, what can you do.' They hit me in the critical place. That day I had two mobile phones on me one in each pocket. Each time one of the phones rang they hit me on that leg. My phones rang a lot that day and they hit me with a metal helmet. When both phones rang another soldier joined in and I was hit on both legs.

On arrival at the station they put me on an air conditioner for an hour. This is a common form of temperature torture. After this I asked them for something to drink. The female soldier put water an inch away from my mouth and took it away… She did this a few times and then she threw it in my face.

The next day they took me to Ofra prison and I was so happy because I could go through Jerusalem – prior to this it was 1993 when I was there last for one day. I took so many pictures that day, I went to the Dome to the Rock and the Old City – I wish I could go again now. It was so good to breathe the air of Jerusalem that day, it smelled so sweet. So on Monday I arrived at Ofra, Thursday was court where the judge dismissed the case – but I was not released until Friday.'

In February 2009 a confiscation order was issued taking 1,700 dunums of Artas land. Awad sleeps in a different house every night to avoid arrest. He believes the IDF want to arrest him again as he has been bringing media attention to the situation in Artas. Despite this Awad remains hopeful: 'These days my hope is increased for a peace solution to the conflict for a number of reasons: International solidarity and the international community have started thinking about the Palestinian problem and American policy is important and Obama's attitude is a bit better – if it is from his heart and not a media game. If it is so then I think we can have a solution.'