Oslo Seminar on Israel’s Death Penalty

The evening began with a presentation by Peter Eisenstein of the pseudo-legal mechanisms employed by imperial powers through the colonial period and culminating in the new Israeli law. He was careful to present the legal flaws in the Israeli government’s own justification for their legislation. Unfortunately, this first presentation was interrupted numerous times by a group who many believed to be Zionist plants sent to disrupt the evening. After a short but loud discussion, they were ejected from the premises by the owner.

This was followed by a detailed analysis by the Norwegian lawyer Geir Kjell Andersland of the PIM Foundation and a member of the European Coalition’s Legal Committee, in which he outlined the suffering of Palestinian children detained in the occupation’s prisons and the impact this has on their families. He highlighted the harsh conditions they face through physical and psychological torture, all of which are in contravention of international humanitarian law.

Hassan Abadi by digital link from Haifa

Geir Kjell Andersland from PIM Campaign – Palestinian children in Israeli military prisons

Haifa-based lawyer Hassan Abadi then joined the seminar with a valuable address in which he explained the appalling conditions in which the detainees are housed. He the escalation of illegal methods, particularly after October 7, including torture, sleep deprivation, starvation tactics and medical neglect which has led to the death of dozens of detainees. Women and children are not spared the abuse, and pregnant women suffer particularly due to the lack of, among other necessities, pre-natal care which threatens their lives and those of their unborn children.

The first half of the evening concluded with a speech rich in political and humanitarian significance from Nadine Al-Barghouti. She spoke of the necessity to keep the Palestinian struggle alive in the diaspora and the difficulty to fight the zionist propaganda which is spread by nearly all Western media outlets. Her speech was made all the more poignant as she referenced her own difficult experience in the relatively “friendly” country of Norway.

The second-half of the seminar was a panel discussion to which was unexpectedly added an audience member, Ms Camilla Ness, who was a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla. She spoke of her arrest at the hands of the Zionist military, as well as the abuse she endured prior to her deportation.

All panelists answered questions from the audience, all of whom showed keen interest in the issue of Palestinian detainees, and for the Palestinian people’s struggle for their right to freedom and national independence. It should be noted that an agreement was reached to issue an urgent appeal on behalf of the participants, addressed to the Norwegian government, the Red Cross and Amnesty International.

Nadin Barghouthi and Camilla Ness during
the panel discussion

Ensjø Kro, Oslo, June 23, 2026