Palestinian woman of Anglican faith, who was apprehended by Israel authorities last year, has been given a sentence of 7.5 months in prison
In a series of events that have raised concerns among religious leaders and human rights advocates, Layan Nasir, a 25-year-old Palestinian woman from the occupied West Bank, has been given a prison sentence of seven and a half months by an Israeli court. Nasir, a member of St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birzeit, spent eight months last year in administrative detention by the Israeli government. The Israeli military prosecution rejected 'all proposed alternatives to incarceration' for Nasir. The conviction of Nasir is for 'routine activities that took place four years ago' when she was a student at Birzeit University. However, the exact nature of the charges remains unclear. Her hearing on the charges was postponed from Sept. 7 to Nov. 23, but it took place without her, and she was found guilty without a trial. The Very Rev. Richard Sewell, the dean of St. George's College in Jerusalem, has been vocal in his support for Nasir. He has called her sentence and the change of hearing dates 'confusing' and is exploring any possible avenue to reverse a decision he called 'erroneous.' Sewell has also stated that 'all the people of the Diocese of Jerusalem will rally to support Layan and her family in the coming weeks.' Four Church of England bishops have urged Israel not to detain Nasir again, and they have contacted both the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom and the British government regarding her case. The bishops have asked the Israeli military court to make a 'fair and just decision' that doesn't include incarceration. Melodie Woerman, a freelance reporter based in Kansas, has written a story about Nasir's case for the Church Times. Nasir is now a full-time community worker at the YMCA. The date when Nasir's sentence will begin has been delayed until November, for unknown reasons. The decision to imprison Nasir 'lacks any legal or moral justification,' according to Rev. Don Binder. Sewell and other supporters are 'distressed by a process which offers no visible sense of justice.' Nasir was released from detention on Dec. 5, 2024, after being held since April 6. It is unclear when she will begin serving her sentence.
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