Israel releases Palestinian circus trainer after 20 months of administrative detention

Mohammed Abu Sakha was just 23-years-old when he was arrested on December 14, 2015 in the occupied West Bank and was being held in administrative detention since January last year. 

Sakha was among the 1,500 Palestinian prisoners who took part in the Freedom and Dignity hunger strike which began on April 17, ingesting only water and salt to demand their basic human rights in prison. It is known as the largest Palestinian prisoners strike in history.

Administrative detention is a controversial measure that allows Israel to hold suspects without trial for periods of six months which can be renewed indefinitely, meaning Palestinians often spending the rest of their lives in detention.

He was one of the 500 Palestinians held in administrative detention by the Israeli occupation.

Prior to his detention, Abu Sakha was a trainer with the Palestinian Circus School, an institution he has worked for since 2007. His speciality was working with children with special educational needs at the school.

He travelled around the world with the school and participated in numerous circus tours in Palestine, halted by the detention.

Rights group Amnesty International said Israel believes Abu Sakha is a member of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is considered a militant movement by Israel.