Daily Press Briefing – Two Jordanians in Custody in Israel – (Excerpts)

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

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I’ve been asking Stéphane [Dujarric] about two Jordanians in custody in Israel, and he said, “I’ll get back to you,” and he didn’t.  And I reminded him again, and he didn’t get back to me.  There are two Jordanians in Israeli custody, Heba al‑Labadi, she was arrested on 20 August, given five months’ detention, administrative detention; and then Abdul Rahman Miri, also arrested early September.  They both going on a hunger strike.  It’s now becoming viral.  The Jordanian Government withdrew their ambassador yesterday, and yet we didn’t hear neither from [Nickolay] Mladenov or from the Secretary‑General or from the Spokesman.  Can you explain that, please?

Deputy Spokesman:  Well, we believe that everyone who is under detention should be given their due process rights and that is the case here, and we would insist on that in this particular instance.

Question:  Heba now is in the hospital, and she is tied.  Her legs are tied to the hospital bed because she’s been on hunger strike.  Her weight is going down.  She’s might lose her life in the next weeks or so.  We don’t know.  I mean, if the UN does not put a smaller weight into this moral question, then what is the UN doing in this case?  She has not been accused of anything.

Deputy Spokesman:  Yeah, and, again, there’s an important point, and this is something Mr. Mladenov…  [cell phone ringing]  This is something that Mr. Mladenov and his offices have raised repeatedly, is that all of those detained must be charged or else… we have said, if they’re not charged and brought to trial with their full due process rights, they must be released.

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