Palestinian prisoners Lena Jarbouni, the longest serving woman prisoner, who has entered her fifteenth year in Israeli prisons, and Khalida Jarrar, Palestinian parliamentarian feminist, leftist and prisoner advocate, issued messages to the Palestinian people on the occasion of Prisoners’ Day, 17 April.

Palestinian lawyer Hanan al-Khatib delivered the messages following her visits with Jarbouni and Jarrar in HaSharon prison:

Lena Jarbouni’s message:

On Prisoners’ Day, I greet the Palestinian people and all of the free people of the world. Through these fifteen years, I have seen the passage of many families and prisoners since the date of my arrest, which coincided with Prisoners’ Day on 17 April 2002. Hundreds of women prisoners held behind bars have stood firm in the struggle, along with the sons of our people, confirming that the Palestinian women are struggling against the occupation and fighting for social justice, emancipation and equality in all spheres of life.

On this day, we salute the longest-serving prisoner Karim Younis, and all of the prisoners throughout Palestine, the Palestinian prisoners’ national movement, and the Arab prisoners, and we salute the child prisoners, boys and girls, sick prisoners, and those in solitary confinement and all of our steadfast people. We assure you that we are held as captives behind bars, but we are free in our minds, and in our convictions. Our freedom remains in our hope and our conviction in the freedom of Palestine.

With all love and greetings. Every year we are free.

Khalida Jarrar’s statement:

Greetings to all brave prisoners. It is very important to work for the liberation of the prisoners, confronting the mass arrests, the goal of which is to break the backbone of the Palestinian people, especially targeting women, children, and the growing number of administrative detainees. The goal is to prevent and suppress any voices of resistance to the occupation and erase its existence, but it will only escalate the struggle. The prisoners are determined to continue their struggle, alongside their families, with the support of the Palestinian people, for the freedom of the prisoners, the freedom of our people, and the defeat of the occupation.

Every year, Palestine and our prisoners are free.