Dear friends,
This is our international appeal in the occasion of July 14, the Lebanese Detainee's day, calling for the freedom of Samir Al Kuntar as well as prevailing the fate of the disappearnces and the martyrs' bodies.

A Memorandum to the German Government 
on the Occasion of the Lebanese Detainee’s Day 
Concerning the detainee 
Samir Al-Kantar and the Disappearances

Your Excellency the German Ambassador in Lebanon,
Mr. Guenter Kniess,

The Follow-up Committee for the Support of the Lebanese Detainees in the Israeli Prisons presents its regards and appreciation to your Excellency and to the German Government as well as the German mediator who lead the exchange detainees’ operation between Hezbollah and Israel on Jan29, 2004.

We show great gratitude on the efforts that Germany had exerted to lead this exchange operation to success through which some of the martyrs' corpses were delivered and the Lebanese detainees were released except SAMIR Al-KANTAR, the longest-held Lebanese detainee in the Israeli prisons.

We consider that Israel had deliberately created –before the completion of this exchange operation- what was known at that time by “Samir Al-Kantar dilemma” as an obstacle for this operation as well as a try to cancel it, but the German efforts resulted into a victory by organizing a transition plan that would lead for the release of Samir Al-Kantar after three months from the exchange operation.

But the specified three months had passed, and here we are stepping to the sixth month and Samir Al-Kantar is still detained waiting with his family and his friends for the fulfillment of the promises of releasing him from detention.

Your Excellency the Ambassador,

Our Committee as well as Samir’s family and his friends never stopped struggling during the last months for the solidarity campaign for the freedom of Samir Al-Kantar.

We have participated in the sixtieth session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva last March, and among the Committee’s team, Samir Al-Kantar’s brother participated.

In this commission, Lebanon was able to submit a resolution abstract to the UN Commission on Human Rights demanding Israel to release Samir Al-Kantar and to uncover the destiny of the disappearances and delivering the martyrs’ corpses and remains, but –and according to a reliable accurate information that the Committee knew- Germany had made a request to Lebanon in a diplomatic way to postpone this resolution to give a chance for the German mediator. Indeed, and because we care about the German efforts and its continuity, the

Lebanese government agreed on postponing the resolution to the Sixty-first UN Commission on Human Rights for the year 2005 which was announced by the President of the Human Rights Committee in the UN Commission at that time.

Today, and in the occasion of July 14: The Lebanese Detainee’s Day in the Israeli Prisons, we protest in front of the German Embassy to remind the world about Samir Al-Kantar and about the tragedy of the families of the disappearances and the martyrs.

We protest in front of your Embassy to give our warm regards to the German Government in the first place valuing their efforts on the successful exchange operation last January, and to declare our support for the German mediator appealing the continuity of the negotiations and reviving it to fulfill the second phase of the exchange operation giving freedom for Samir Al-Kantar.

Our sit-in is not against the German Embassy or the German Government because keeping Samir Al-Kantar as a hostage is the responsibility of Israel. As for Germany, it is held responsible, human side speaking, for the issue of its negotiations to free Samir Al-Kantar. We chose that our peaceful sit-in to be in front the German Embassy on the occasion of the Lebanese Detainee’s Day due to our fears on the fate of the German efforts, and on the validity of the promises to let Samir Al-Kantar free.

Our appeal to the German Government and the German mediator to revive the negotiations doesn’t exempt the Lebanese Government from its National duties towards this issue.

The freedom operation of Samir Al-Kantar and uncovering the fate of the disappearances as well as delivering the martyrs’ corpses besides its International Human importance, is in the first place, the mission of the Lebanese government and its main responsibility.

On the occasion of the Lebanese Detainee’s Day, we call the whole world: the German Government, the Lebanese Government, the United Nations, the Lebanese Resistance and the NGOs to activate and unite their efforts to free Samir Al-Kantar and uncovering the fate of the disappearances as well as delivering the martyrs’ corpses.

Aren’t 26-years enough?!

Enough Waiting.