40 Democrats Demand Israel Free Sami Safi, US Citizen Detained Without Charges
Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.
Dozens of Democrats from both chambers of Congress are demanding the release of U.S. citizen Sami Safi from Israeli prison, where officials have held her for nearly two months without charges.
The Democrats, led by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), raised concern over doctors’ assessments that Safi is at risk of “irreversible and life-threatening damage to her internal organs” in Israeli custody. Safi has a chronic and complex autoinflammatory disorder that she typically receives treatment for in Italy. In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the lawmakers demanded that the State Department take immediate action to secure her freedom.
“It is your responsibility to ensure the safety of all Americans abroad, with no exceptions. Her life is at risk on your watch,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter was signed by 35 members of the House and six senators, as well as 85 rights and advocacy groups. Tlaib has also held a virtual meeting with Safi’s parents to discuss options for her release, the lawmaker’s office said.
Israeli soldiers raided Safi’s family’s home in the occupied West Bank in the middle of the night on June 2 and arrested her. Safi, who is 20 years old, is a university student who has family in Florida. She is one of several Americans who have been killed or........
