Family relieved, activists jubilant over imminent release of Labadi, Meri

AMMAN — The family of Hiba Labadi and activists hailed the Foreign Ministry’s announcement on Monday that that Israel had pledged earlier in the day to hand over their daughter and another Jordanian before the end of the week.

Yesterday, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Israel had agreed to hand over administrative detainees Labadi and Abdulrahman Meri to the Kingdom.

The agreement was the result of intensified discussions and procedures the ministry had conducted in coordination with all stakeholders since the detention of the two Jordanians, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Safadi added that the government has been following up on the case since the beginning, following His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives to take all necessary measures to release the two detainees.

Hiba’s father, Ahmad, told The Jordan Times that his family was “relieved” upon hearing the news about his daughter’s expected release.

“Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called me personally to inform me about the good news, and that the government has been exerting its utmost efforts under the directives of King Abdullah from the first day, to secure the release of my daughter,” Ahmad Labadi said.

Ahmad Labadi added: “We are very happy and wish to congratulate everyone who was involved in the activism work and who stood next to us during this horrible ordeal.”

He added that his daughter ended her hunger strike upon hearing the news.

“The first thing we will do when she is back is to take her to hospital for a full medical checkup, because we know her health situation has deteriorated because she was on hunger strike,” Ahmad Labadi added.

Labadi has been on a hunger strike for over a month, and her health has suffered as a result. Meri suffers from cancer.

Jordanian activists have initiated a popular movement in recent days to demand the release of Labadi, Meri and all Jordanians who are detained in Israeli prisons.

The activists organised a social media campaign and on Sunday held a sit-in in front of the Prime Ministry that hundreds of Jordanians joined, urging the government to pressure Israel to release Labadi and Meri and all other detainees. 

Hania Barqawi, one of the members and organisers of the popular movement that led the social media campaign and the sit-in, said: “This is a proud day for Jordan and for everyone who raised her/his voice high to demand the release of Labadi and Meri.”

“Our happiness is not only because Hiba and Abdulrahman will be back soon, but we are proud that Jordan won its dignity and sovereignty,” Barqawi told The Jordan Times.

“It is the government’s duty to protect its citizens, and today the government succeeded in this.  Now they need to secure the release of the other Jordanians who are detained in Israeli prisons,” Barqawi added.

Activist and Lawyer Noor Imam also considered the news “a win for Jordanian diplomacy, that succeeded in retrieving two of its citizens, reflecting the true value of its citizens”.

“Labadi and Meri’s cases opened an important file related to the 23 Jordanian prisoners in Israeli prisons, and now we are hopeful that the government’s successful diplomacy will also result in more releases of Jordanian prisoners in the near future,” Imam told The Jordan Times.

Labadi, who has been in illegal detention in Israel under inhumane conditions, was transferred on Friday to a health centre under prison administration for treatment, in response to the ministry’s demands.

The Foreign Ministry has made continual efforts and intensive calls via diplomatic and political channels to urge Israel to release the detained Jordanians, whose health conditions have deteriorated since the beginning of their administrative detention.

In October, the ministry summoned the Israeli Chargé d’Affaires in the Kingdom to protest against the continued detention of Labadi and Meri, and handed him a letter demanding their immediate release.

“Jordan holds Israel fully accountable for the lives of the two citizens until their safe return home,” the ministry said, adding that it would continue taking “all measures available” to ensure Labadi’s and Meri’s safety and quick release.