Guilty as Charged in Gaza Prison

international | rights, freedoms and repression | other press Monday September 08, 2008 10:31 by Ken O'Keefe - P10K kenokeefe at p10k dot net Gaza, Palestine 972 599 501 971

Written by Ken O'Keefe in Gaza

Ken O’Keefe is a 39 year-old Marine Conservationist and Human Rights Activist born in America who holds Irish, Hawaiian and Palestinian citizenship. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the 1991 Gulf War and lawfully renounced his U.S. citizenship in Vancouver, Canada on March 1, 2001. He is the founder of the Truth Justice Peace Human Shield Action to Iraq (2003) and P10K (2004). In 2007-2008 he served as a Legislator within the reinstated Hawaiian Government and authored a law that outlaws WMD in Hawaii. Most recently he served as a Captain and 1st Mate with the Free Gaza Movement that successfully challenged the Israeli siege of Gaza. Currently he remains in Gaza where he wrote this piece.

Ken O'Keefe behind the wheel of the Free Gaza

Guilty as Charged in Gaza Prison
Blog at http://kenokeefe.wordpress.com/

I arrived in Gaza with 45 others from 16 different countries on August 23, 2008 as part of the Free Gaza Movement.[1] For this we are guilty of exercising the inherent human right to travel as outlined in Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In Gaza I have met with and expressed solidarity with those who resist the occupation and for this I am guilty of affirming the lawful right of self-defence. I have also met with, expressed solidarity and initiated work directly with Palestinians who choose non-violence and law as their means of struggle. In this choice we are guilty of conspiracy to expose the truth about the Zionist need for conflict; which explains why people of peace are unwelcome in the eyes of the Israeli Government.

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First boats arrive to greet us outside Gaza Port

Bedlam, euphoria, joy!