Layan is one of many arrested and given trumped up charges for participation in a Palestinian student union. It is alleged that her arrest came after making and selling falafel sandwiches as part of an activity for a student movement affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) [1].

Layan Kayed was arrested on the morning of June 8, 2020 while crossing Za’tara military checkpoint with her mother. The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stopped the car of Layan’s mother; Layan was asked for her ID. Once she handed it, she was ordered to step out of the vehicle and searched on the spot.

On Thursday, 18 June 2020, the indictment was submitted against her over, among others, her activism as a student unionist at the university. It also charged her with establishing an unlawful association, holding social and cultural activities, and throwing stones at the IOF.

On 3 March 2021, Ofer military court sentenced Layan to 16 months imprisonment, another 12 months suspended over five years, in addition to a fine of 6,000 shekels. In the ruling, the military judge cited a previous ruling by the military appeals court which stated that student arms of organizations deemed unlawful should not be underestimated, referring to the prosecution of students who belong to student groups in universities, as they constitute a threat to “security.”