Saturday, June 29, 2013

"Dear world that has shut its ears in the face of the children of Palestine: where are human rights, where is conscience, where is humanity?"

The terrible tragedy of the Prisoner Ahmed al-Sakani 
From Middle East Monitor , written by Ahmad Abu R'tema

Imagine the story of a man waiting eagerly and anxiously for the arrival of his first born child, and as he waits, he is unjustly detained and sentenced to twenty-seven years behind bars. His wife gives birth to their child while he is in prison and the child grows up without ever having set eyes on their father. However, after eleven years, the tragedy reaches its climax; while listening to a radio broadcast in prison, the man hears news of the death of his only son who had been waiting on pins and needles for his father's embrace...

This is the story of the Palestinian prisoner Ahmed al-Sakani from the Gaza Strip and his only son, Tariq. Al-Sakani was arrested at the Abu Houli Checkpoint in central Gaza on 10 December 2001, and his only son Tariq was born while he was in detention. As a consequence of the Israeli policy which deprives Palestinian prisoners of receiving family visitors, throughout the duration of his detention, al-Sakani was only allowed to see his son on two occasions.

Tariq was killed on Monday, 24 December 2013 after taking part in a ceremony in support of Palestinian prisoners. After the ceremony he was killed in an accident when the car he was traveling collided with a truck.

During the ceremony, young Tariq delivered his final address to the world and included the following words:

"Dear sleeping world...there is a piece of this world called Palestine where people live in a state of injustice and oppression ...according to what right do the children of Palestine wake up without being able to see their fathers...according to what right is the child deprived of seeing their father from birth? My father is not a criminal; neither is he a murderer or a traitor. However, he languishes in a cell where he does not see the light of day under conditions only acceptable for murderers and criminals ...Dear world that has shut its ears in the face of the children of Palestine: where are human rights, where is conscience, where is humanity? Since I was born, I have not seen my father! Where in the universe does this happen? I want my father, I want my father; I want to hear his voice."

These are the words that exploded from young Tariq's heart, which was filled with sadness and oppression, without him knowing that only a few moments separated him from death when he would return to God; there, in the abode of eternity, not a single soul is oppressed...

As for the father in his prison cell, he could not withstand the shock of the news he heard over the local broadcast and fainted before collapsing from its impact. In his pitiful state, he said: "Prison and barbed wire weep from this news, as how am I his father...my son Tariq ...my son Tariq ...he died while awaiting my release so that he could hug me!- See more at: http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/lifestyle/6379-the-terrible-tragedy-of-the-prisoner-ahmed-al-sakani#sthash.a6MkNdG6.dpuf

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