Lian Nasser, a 25-year-old Palestinian Christian who served 7 months in prison for providing services to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terror organization in Israel, was released over the weekend from Damon Prison. When she arrived in Birzeit, her hometown near Ramallah, she was given a hero’s welcome and driven through the town in an open-top car as residents greeted her with cheers. Before her imprisonment, she worked at a YMCA branch in the Beit Hanina neighborhood of north Jerusalem.
Despite her young age, this was Nasser’s third prison term.
Who is Lian Nasser, who worked at a YMCA branch in north Jerusalem?
Nasser began her security-related activity in 2020, while she was a psychology student at Birzeit University. She was arrested for the first time that year and served 16 months in prison. During her studies, she was a prominent activist in Kutla Islamiya, the student bloc identified with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
After completing her studies, Nasser began working at the East Jerusalem branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association, located in Beit Hanina in north Jerusalem. Despite being a released prisoner, she was able to pass through the checkpoints and enter Jerusalem.
At the YMCA, she worked as a project coordinator. As part of her role, she was involved in documenting human rights violations, accompanying international delegations and promoting political and social awareness among young Palestinians. Her work included travel between the organization’s offices in Jerusalem and additional centers in Palestinian Authority areas, including Beit Sahour and Jericho, where the organization operates training and rehabilitation programs.
What was Lian Nasser convicted of?
According to her conviction, under the cover of seemingly ordinary employment, Nasser continued her security-related activity within the university, using her status as a well-known graduate of the institution. According to the indictment, although she was no longer a student, she continued to serve as a “guiding figure” and central activist in the Popular Front student cell at Birzeit University. She used her standing as a familiar graduate to guide younger students and preserve the Popular Front’s infrastructure on campus. Her main activities included raising funds for the terror organization, organizing conferences and rallies, distributing content identified with the organization and delivering speeches at ceremonies in which the organization’s terror operatives were praised.
During her imprisonment, Christian organizations and public figures protested her incarceration and demanded her release. According to them, it was a political arrest over legitimate public activity.
Upon her release over the weekend at the Jalameh military checkpoint, near Jenin, she was met by members of her family. From there, she was driven to her hometown of Birzeit, where, as noted, she received a hero’s welcome.
