Samer Tariq Issawi

Samer Tariq Issawi (born December 16, 1979, in Issawiyeh, north east of Jerusalem) is a Palestinian prisoner in Israel.

[1][2] On 15 April 2002, Samer was detained by the Israeli army in Ramallah as part of Operation Defensive Shield during the Second Intifada.

[3] Samer, who was affiliated with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine,[1] allegedly manufactured and distributed pipe bombs and in several instances fired indiscriminately at Israeli civilians.

[1] Nearly 10 years later, in October 2011, Samer was released along with 1027 Palestinian prisoners as a result of an Egypt-brokered deal between Hamas and the Israeli government for the return of Gilad Shalit.

[6] Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian state, sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and began a publicity campaign on 13 February 2013 to raise awareness of the condition of Issawi and three other prisoners of Israel engaged in a hunger strike to protest that they were being held in prison without being convicted.