Palestinian prisoner and intellectual, Walid Daqqah, is currently in Barzilai Medical Center in critical condition, diagnosed with pneumonia and a rare bone marrow cancer, myelofibrosis.

In spite of all the injustices and discrimination inflicted upon Daqqah throughout the 37 years of his incarceration, he has managed remarkable achievements that have made him in to the political, intellectual and cultural icon that he is. He has been a leader among the Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement and is a prominent figure in the Palestinian, Arab and international cultural scene, in particular in the field of prison studies. Even his intellectual life has been deemed dangerous as prisoner authorities subjected Daqqah to extra punishment due to his political, social and intellectual activism, in particular solitary confinement.

Currently, Daqqah is held under heavy guards in the hospital in Asqalan as his physical condition worsens. He is now on artificial ventilation and his lungs and kidneys are in great distress. Al-Awda joins the call to Free Walid Daqqah!

We encourage all supporters to follow his family’s Facebook page closely for updates on the case and to take action and protest in your community for his freedom and the liberation of all Palestinian prisoners!