For Palestinian prisoners, Ramadan is a time of deprivation and struggle

7 July 2013

Former prisoner Rafat Hamdouna, director of the Center for Prisoners’ Studies, said that Ramadan for Palestinian prisoners will take place amid continuous violations of prisoners’ rights. Hamdouna noted that there is a long record of prison administrators’ interference and disruption of worship in the month of Ramadan, denying prisoners’ access to the general prison yard for evening prayers and failing to provide a prison chapel, despite the fact that full religious services and accommodation are provided to all Jewish criminal prisoners in occupation prisons. The prison administration provides irregular mealtimes and they often prevent the introduction of religious books during Ramadan.

In addition, the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners reported on July 6 that the Israel Prison Services refused the request to increase the amount of money in their canteens that prisoners would be able to receive from their families for the month of Ramadan. The ministry had requested that monthly family contributions be permitted to increase to 500 shekels per prisoner. Canteen products are often necessary purchases because of the low quality and/or absence of essentials provided by Israel Prison Services. The canteen is overpriced, far above the going costs in Palestine ’48 or the West Bank and operated for-profit by an Israeli corporation, Dadash.

Riad Al Ashqar of the Palestine Prisoners Centre for Study said that the occupation has annually engaged in cell and ward raids and inspections during Ramadan, increased the use of isolation and denied isolated prisoners the right to participate in collective religius functions, transferring prisoners from prison to prison. Ashqar pointed out that many prisoners in some detention centres and isolation cells are not informed of iftar and suhoor times, and they cannot see the sun or sunset, or hear calls to prayer. Ashqar noted that Ramadan comes this year as a number of prisoners are opn open hunger strike and facing seriously ill health, as well as ongoing medical neglect and abuse against Palestinian prisoners. Ashqar demanded that the occupation stop obstructing the entry of prisoners’ requests during Ramadan, such as dates and olive oil.

All called for international vigilance and remembering the Palestinian prisoners at Ramadan, taking action to defend them against abuse and denial of their religious rights, and calling for their freedom.

Solidarity with California prisoners on hunger strike!

7 July 2013

Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network expresses our solidarity and support with the US prisoners in California prisons who have announced plans to launch their hunger strike on July 8 with a national and international day of action. The prisoners have five key demands for their strike:

1. End Group Punishment & Administrative Abuse.
2. Abolish the Debriefing Policy, and Modify Active/Inactive Gang Status Criteria.
3. Comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons 2006. Recommendations Regarding an End to Long-Term Solitary Confinement.
4. Provide Adequate and Nutritious Food.
5. Expand and Provide Constructive Programming and Privileges for those living in the SHU.

Prisoners throughout California launched hunger strikes for these demands, beginning in July 2011 in the Security Housing Unit of California’s Pelican Bay State Prison. The three-week strike expanded to include 6600 prisoners. The strike ended when the California Department of Corrections pledged to review the demands and implement reforms. However, in September of that year, after no action, 12,000 prisoners across California resumed their hunger strike. The Pelican Bay prisoners called off the strike on October 13th, when the CDCR again promised serious reforms and reviews of the use of solitary confinement and isolation.

Now, without progress over almost two years, the prisoners in California are launching their strike again. Prisoners continue to be sentenced to lifetimes in solitary confinement because they are labelled “gang affiliated” over such matters as tattoos, cultural art, or reading material. Youth prisoners in Washington have also announced their intention to join the strike.

Over 2 million people are imprisoned in the US and over 60% of those people are people of colour, subject to a distinctly racialized system that routinely criminalizes youth of colour, in sharp contrast to the crime rate, which has fallen while imprisonment has risen. Mass incarceration is deeply racialized, as 1/3 of young Black men are in the criminal justice system. The US holds 25% of the world’s prisoners with 5% of the world’s population, and prisoner resistance and political action has been sharply repressed.

As we stand against apartheid, racism, and Zionism in Palestine, we stand against racism and oppression in the US and around the world. Solitary confinement is a mechanism of torture, from Palestine to Pelican Bay to Guantanamo, and we stand in solidarity with the courageous prisoners who challenge isolation and oppression. The US is Israel’s key international supporter, ally, and economic/military supplier, and maintains regimes of mass imprisonment for social control both in occupied Palestine and in its own prisons.

For more information on how you can support the California prisoners’ action, please see their blog: http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/

Take action and sign the Pledge of Resistance with the California Hunger Strikers: http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/51040/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=8133

March in Ramallah stands in solidarity with hunger striking Palestinian prisoners

7 July 2013

Palestinians, including former prisoners, prisoners’ families and activists marched in Ramallah on July 7, 2013, demanding freedom for Palestinian political prisoners and solidarity with the hunger strikers in Israeli prisons. The march was organized by Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, as well as the Higher Follow-Up Committee for Prisoners. For more information and updates on the hunger strikers, please see this update.

Photos by Addameer and Translators for Palestine:

Hunger Strike Updates: Abdullah Barghouthi in health crisis; cameras installed in prisoners’ hospital rooms

7 July 2013

A Palestinian lawyer who visited Abdullah Barghouthi in Afula hospital on July 6, as he entered his 67th day of hunger strike, reported that he has entered an extremely dangerous phase, that his liver, blood vessels and irregular heartbeat pose a threat to his life. He noted that the hospital has a committee studying the health and legal status of Barghouthi, one of five Palestinian political prisoners holding Jordanian citizenship on hunger strike for their rights as Jordanians, including to be transferred to Jordan. The other four strikers, Muneer Mar’i, Mohammad Rimawi, Alaa Hamdan and Hamza Othman al-Dabbas, have also been on strike since May 2, for 67 days, and are facing severe health threats, in particular Mohammad Rimawi.

In addition, Ayman Hamdan and Imad Batran, Palestinian administrative detainees who have been on hunger strike for 71 and 62 days, respectively, protesting their administrative detention without charge or trial, have now had surveillance cameras installed inside their hospital room at Assaf Horofa Hospital in apparent retaliation for their hunger strike. Palestinian Prisoners Society lawyer Jawad Boulos also reported that they have 6 guards in their room with them who eat and drink inside the room. Both of them have their right hands and left feet chained to their hospital beds, despite their poor health as they consume only water, salt and glucose. Hamdan and Batran are among a number of Palestinian hunger strikers challenging administrative detention, including Ayman Al-Tabeesh and Adel Hareebat, both of whom have been on hunger strike for 46 days.

Also on hunger strike are Hussam Mattar, demanding his release; Ghassan Elian, protesting his re-arrest after release in the prisoner exchange; Mohammed Al-Tabeesh, in solidarity with his brother Ayman; and Ahmed Hamdan, brother of Ayman Hamda.

Eyad Abu Khudair of Gaza continues his hunger strike for release; he has been detained beyond the end of his sentence and occupation officials refuse to release him, saying he has no identity papers. Khaled Hroub is on hunger strike demanding to be placed with his brother, Younis, and Awad al-Saidi is striking demanding an end to his isolation.

The Prisoners’ Society urged the broadest popular support for the striking prisoners and ill prisoners.

See the following chart (data from Palestinian Prisoners Society) on the hunger strikers and the date they launched their strikes:

Palestinian prisoner’s name	Date of Hunger Strike
Ayman Issa Hamdan	04/28/2013
Muneer Mari	05/02/2013
Abdullah Barghouti	05/02/2013
Alaa Hammad	05/02/2013
Mohammad Rimawi	05/02/2013
Hamza Othman Al-Dabbas	05/02/2013
Imad Batran	05/07/2013
Adel Hareebat	05/23/2013
Ayman Al-Tabeesh	05/23/2013
Hossam Mattar	06/01/2013
Ghassan Elian	06/10/2013
Mohammed Al-Tabeesh	06/12/2013
Khaled Hroub	06/15/2013
Eyad Abu Khudair	06/17/2013
Ahmed Hamdan	06/24/2013
Awad Al-Saidi	06/25/2013

Child prisoners suffer from spread of skin disease in Hasharon

7 July 2013

Children and youth prisoners at Hasharon prison reported on Saturday, July 6 that skin diseases were spreading throughout their ranks in the prison, calling for intervention by international medical and human rights organizations.

In a message leaked from inside the prisons, Wael Fakhri Turkman, a prisoner held in Hasharon, said that the youth prisoners in Hasharon were being denied legal and medical visits after the dramatic spread of the infectious skin diseases.

There are dozens of child and youth prisoners in the section, Turkman said, and he called upon all human rights, humanitarian and medical associations to work to introduce medications to eliminate this disease.

There are 234 Palestinian children and youth held as prisoners in Israeli prisons, reported Palestinian researcher Abdel Nasser Ferwana.

31 Palestinians seized in ongoing occupation raids throughout West Bank

7 July 2013

raidz Ma’an reported on the ongoing mass arrests and raids throughout the West Bank in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 7, 2013, in which 31 Palestinians were forcibly detained.

Soldiers detained eight Palestinians in Nablus, a military spokesman said.

Locals said Israeli military jeeps raided Nablus’ Old City at around 3 a.m as well as the al-Maajin neighborhood. Soldiers detained
Musab al-Shami, Mahmud al-Shami, Mohammad al-Aboud, Khalid Abu Zarour, Karm Mansour, Mohammad al-Natour and Ahmad al-Natour, locals told Ma’an.

Israeli forces also raided several areas around Ramallah, detaining five Palestinians in Deir Abu Mashal and one in Jalazun refugee camp, the military spokesman said. Soldiers detained two Palestinians in Bilin and two in Nilin, villages which hold weekly protests against Israel’s separation wall.

Forces also detained two Palestinians in Beit Ummar, near Hebron, another site of weekly protests, as well as two from Hebron, two from Idhna, northwest of the city and three from al-Arrub refugee camp, north of Hebron.

Soldiers detained one Palestinian in Bethlehem and two in Abu Dis, north of Bethlehem, and one Palestinian in Birqin, near Jenin in the northern West Bank.

The army spokesman said the detainees were taken for security questioning.

Freed prisoner Mohammed al-Taj launches hunger strike for health care action from PA

7 July 2013

Freed Palestinian prisoner Mohammed Al-Taj declared he would go on hunger strike on Sunday, July 7 demanding action around his medical treatment. Hilmi Al-Araj, the director of Hurriyat (freedoms) center, said in a press release on Saturday that Taj has waited for two and a half months to be treated, since his release on medical grounds on April 18, 2013, after his lungs failed, but there has been no action except bureaucracy from the Palestinian Authority’s health ministry, and he has also called upon the office of the PA presidency for action but had achieved no results.

Taj, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, is in need of lung transplant operation after he was released from Israeli jails due to his serious condition. Without a lung transplant, his lifespan is estimated to be about eight months.

Araj said that Taj should be transferred to a European country as 85% of his lungs are not working and he is in urgent need of specialized medical care. Taj was detained in 2003 and was serving a 15-year sentence; he was released, with no treatment, by the occupation prisons shortly following the death of Maysara Abu Hamdieh and widespread protests across Palestine against the medical mistreatment and abuse in occupation prisons.

Palestinian researcher: 5000 Palestinian prisoners, including 234 children, in occupation prisons

6 July 2013

Former prisoner, researcher and analyst, Abdel Nasser Farwana, reported that since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada on September 28, 2000 until today, there were over 78,000 Palestinians arrested from all sectors of Palestinian society.

Among these arrests included over 9,000 children under 10, and nearly 60 Palestinian legislators and ministers in addition to numerous journalists, academics, and hundreds of political leaders.

Ferwana said that at the present time, Israel is holding approximately 5000 prisoners in 17 prisons and detention centres in harsh condition, and that the prisoners lack the minimum human rights stipulated in international law and human rights instruments. In particular, he pointed to the continued policy of medical neglect and abuse and physical and psychological torture.

83.5% of the detainees are from the West Bank, 8.7% from Gaza, and 7.8% from Jerusalem and Occupied Palestine ’48. Most prisoners are held in Negev, Eshel, Nafha, Ohla Kedar, Ramon, Gilboa, Shata, Ofer, Asqelan, Hadorim, Hasharon, Ramle, and Megiddo.

29.6% of prisoners are married, and 70.4% are single. There are 234 children, 15 women prisoners, 14 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and 153 administrative detainees. 51 of the child prisoners are under 16. Among the women prisoners, Lena Jarbouni has been held for over 11 years.

There are 537 prisoners serving one or several life sentences.

There are 103 prisoners who are “veteran prisoners,” held before the Oslo agreement, including 83 prisoners who have been held for 20 years, among them 24 who have been held for over 25 years. Karim Younes has been detaines for over 30 years.

Since 1967, 204 prisoners have died in occupation prisons due to torture, medical neglect, or beatings, the latest of which were Arafat Jaradat and Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, in addition to hundreds of prisoners who died after their liberation from prison due to the impacts of torture and medical neglect.

Ferwana called on all Palestinians, national and Islamic forces and political parties and social institutions to activate and raise the level of their solidarity to befit the sacrifices of the prisoners, the role of their cause, and put an end to the violations committed against them on the road to freedom and liberation for all prisoners.

Palestinian prisoner Hussam Mattar penalized for hunger strike

6 July 2013

Palestinian prisoner Hussam Mattar, from Jerusalem, has been on hunger strike since June 1, 2013 and is currently suffering from pain throughout his body. Mattar’s wife reported that the prison administration is imposing severe penalties on her husband in order to pressure him to suspend his hunger strike.

Fines have been imposed upon him, he has been barred from family visits, and transferred from prison to prison.

She reported that he has been transferred from isolation in Nafha, to Ohla Kedar in Bir Saba, where he was held for four days, then returned back to Nafha for one night, then back to Ohla Kedar for one night, and then to isolation in Asqelan prison.

The cell is only two meters by 1.5 meters, lacking the minimum necessities, and is infested with insects and cockroaches, with surveillance cameras inside the cell. Mattar’s lawyer reported that he is suffering from severe head, muscle and kidney pain and has lost 22 kg during his strike. Mattar was arrested on October 19, 2007, sentenced to life imprisonment, and is the father of 2 children, Saqr (7) and Nasrallah (5). He is demanding his freedom, and to be recognized as a prisoner of war.

Ill Palestinian prisoners in Ramle subject to abusive raids, Asqelan prisoners continue to boycott clinic

6 July 2013

Palestinian lawyer Hanan al-Khatib reported that a special repressive force called Masada stormed the prison clinic in Ramle at 7:30 pm on July 5, and remained, ransacking the prisoners’ areas, for 6 hours, destroying many prisoners’ belongings.

Riad Amour, a representative of the ill prisoners, said that these “inspections” are common and provocative, many prisoners in the section have disabilities and use wheelchairs and are unable to protect themselves or their property.

16 ill prisoners in the clinic returned their meals in protest of the raid, saying that if these raids continue they will boycott their medicine, said Khatib. She warned that several prisoners ar not receiving their medicine, including Moqadah Mansour, who has a tumor on his neck that is feared to be cancerous, but the prison will not send him to an outside hospital for examination or treatment. She also noted the deteriorating conditions of other prisoners, such as Moatassem Raddad, who is a cancer patient who needs monthly injections, but only receives them every 2 months on the ground that they are too expensive. She also said that Nahed Aqrah’s health status is still difficult after his second foot was amputated, and the area continues to be inflamed and painful.

Reports also came from Asqelan prison that the number of ill prisoners continue to increase, as prisoners continue to boycott the prison clinic in protest of medical neglect and mistreatment.

Nasser Abu Hamid, representative of Asqelan prisoners, said through his lawyer that some prisoners have stopped taking medicine, such as Samer Abu Leila and Yousef Nadjah, in protest of medical mistreatment. Hazem Abu Eid, a prisoner from al-Khalil, arrested on June 26, 2013, is suffering an injury in his abdomen, knee, and right leg due to being shot, and needs knee surgery. There are 11 difficult cases in Asqelan prison, including Muhammed Brash, who is hard of hearing, his left leg has been amputated, and his vision in his left eye is severely impaired; Naim Shawamre, who has serious laryngeal problems; Hazem Abu Eid (above); Mohammed Daoud, with severe dental problems, high blood pressure, and psoriasis; Fouad Shoubaki, who has hemorrhoids and high bood pressure; Sharif Naji, with high blood pressure, stomach ailments and high cholesterol; Ahmed Al Jaafar, with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease; Ahmed Shehadeh, with hypertension and diabetes; Muntasser Abu Ghalyoun, who has eye problems; Samer Abu Leila, who has high blood pressure and heart disease; and Othman Younes, whose fingers of his left hand were amputated and who suffers from intestinal problems.

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