Majd Ziada, 29 years old, hasn’t seen his parents and two sisters for over a decade. He was put in prison at the age of 19 during the Second Intifada in 2002 with a 15-year sentence after the Israeli government accused him of being a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s armed resistance wing.

At his appeal in an Israeli military courtroom, Majd gave a defiant statement against the occupation, which resulted in another 15 years added to his sentence:

“I do not believe in this court because it is an unjust one. I am opposed to the occupation and I will remain opposed to the occupation. So go ahead and sentence me. I will join my brothers and sisters in jail and consider it a badge of honor,” he said.

Majd’s mother, 59-year-old Lutfiya, was diagnosed last year with breast cancer. She initially refused chemotherapy and doctor-prescribed medicine, and instead focused on treating herself through healthy eating, organic food and herbs. In one instance, Israeli authorities, on no reasonable claim, confiscated a nutritional package sent to her by a doctor from the U.S. by post.