Imprisoned MP Ahmad Sa’adat

Ahmad Sa’adat is one of Palestine’s most prominent political leaders, serving as the Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Born in 1953 in Al-Bireh, his family originates from the depopulated village of Deir Tarif. He studied mathematics at the UNRWA Teachers’ Training Institute in Qalandiya.

In 2001, he was elected Secretary-General of the PFLP following the assassination of Abu Ali Mustafa, assuming leadership of one of the leading Palestinian political movements.

In the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections, Sa’adat was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council on the "Ahmad Sa’adat" list representing the PFLP.

He was initially detained by the Palestinian Authority and held in Jericho Prison. In March 2006, Israeli forces raided the prison, arrested him, and transferred him to Israeli custody.

An Israeli military court sentenced him to 30 years in prison, where he remains imprisoned. His case is widely regarded as one of the most prominent examples of the targeting of elected Palestinian parliamentarians and democratic representation.