Asylum Seekers at Holot Detention Center Launched a New Protest: “We Demand Our Freedom”

African asylum-seekers indefinitely detained at the Holot facility launched a new protest, demanding their release and promising to fight until they reach a satisfactory solution. Starting today (Monday), the detainees will no longer participate in the three daily roll-calls as required, will not leave the facility except in cases of emergency and will stop doing any work within the compound.

Since the new Anti-Infiltration Law was passed into law last December, Over 2,300 people have been detained at Holot for an unlimited period of time. The detainees must take part in roll-calls three times a day, and are not allowed to work outside the facility or leave the detention center at night. The asylum-seekers are protesting against the very existence of Holot; although the State refers to Holot as an “open facility,” the detainees insist there is no difference between Holot and Saharonim prison.

Statement By Asylum seekers’ committee in Holot:
“Asylum seekers’ committee in Holot decided to continue their struggle, demonstrating against the unfair government policy of putting us in a prison for no reason, arguing that Holot is an illegal place and we are not criminals and we don’t deserve to be there.
We arrived to Holot by ourselves as we are cooperating with the government policy even though we disagree with, believing that things might change. However, since our arrival to Holot the situation is getting worse day after another and the accumulation of the pressure from the state represented in immigration authority, we cannot wait any long and keep silent.
Therefore, we have decided to move by ourselves, knowing that one’s freedom will not be given, and all of us should act to make justice and equality happen.
We are hereby announcing the following:
• Starting from tomorrow Monday morning, no one will sign in or out until further notice, only for exceptional needs (patients or those with legal cases).
• No one will work inside Holot, as we are not there for work and we don’t deserve to be in Holot in the first place.
This is just a beginning and there is a lot more to come”.