Palestinian prisoners face medical neglect and abuse in occupation prisons

30 June 2013

Palestinian prisoner Shadi Qar’an, 30, of Tulkarem, is currently suffering from potentially cancerous tumors and severe abdominal pain, but has received no treatment apart from painkillers. Palestinian lawyer Ashraf Al-Khatib has petitioned for him to receive treatment and surgery, but the military court postponed hearing this case until September 10, 2013 on June 30. Qar’an has been in occupation prisons since 2007, with a 28-year sentence, and is held in Gilboa prison.

Palestinian prisoner Salim Kassab, imprisoned since 2003, faces the loss of sight in his left eye. He was given injections of cortisone, and Afula hospital has documented that without immediate treatment he will lose his sight. However, the prison medical authorities have refused to provide surgery to save his eye.

Simultaneously, the family of prisoner Hassan Sharif, 31, said that their son is suffering from urinary and kidney disease and severe joint pain, and also has received no treatment except for painkillers, calling for Doctors Without Borders, the ICRC and other international institutions to protect the medical rights of prisoners.

Samer al-Barq’s administrative detention renewed yet again as occupation forces continue to violate agreement with long-time hunger striker

30 June 2013

barq Previous long-term hunger striker Samer al-Barq’s administrative detention was renewed for another six months on June 27, despite the previous agreement of the occuation to release him to Egypt in exchange for ending his hunger strike.

Samer Al-Barq has been held by the occupation forces since July 11, 2010, when he was deported by Jordanian security forces to the bridge to Palestine and transferred to occupation forces, after his detention in Jordan. (Born in Qalqilya, al-Barq had lived in Pakistan for a number of years and married a Pakistani woman.)

Since that time, al-Barq has been held in administrative detention without charge or trial. After his first open-ended hunger strike, he stopped his strike based on the occupation authorities’ promise to not renew his administrative detention, deport him to Egypt from where he could return to Pakistan. The occupation authorities violated their promise and instead renewed his administrative detention. He launched a new hunger strike that lasted for 120 days and which was once again suspended when the occupation promised to apply the agreement, which they again violated. He went on a third hunger strike for 43 days, which he ended after a health crisis.

The occupation again renewed his administrative detention for an additional six months on June 27. Palestinian human rights organizations called for international action to defend Samer in the face of the occupation’s impunity.

11 Palestinians, including 2 minors, seized by occupation soldiers on June 29-30

30 June 2013

The Palestine Information Centre reported on June 30, 2013 that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) kidnapped eleven people on Saturday night and Sunday morning throughout the West Bank.

Local sources told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the IOF kidnapped a young man named Hisham Abu Sheikha from his home in Al-Khader town to the south of Bethlehem. Earlier on Saturday, two Palestinian boys, Attiya and Shadi Asakra, both 17, were seized by occupation forces in the Bethlehem village of Asakra.

In Aida refugee camp to the north of Bethlehem, the IOF stormed and ransacked the house of Hasan Mashayekh and handed his 25-year old son Seif a summons for interrogation from the Israeli intelligence in Gush Etzion settlement.

Three others citizens were also taken prisoners during raids at dawn on their homes in Tabaka village, south of Dura town in Al-Khalil.

Eyewitnesses told the PIC that the IOF raided other homes and established checkpoints in several villages near Dura town like the villages of Abu Asja, Sura, Kharsa.

Last night, the IOF kidnapped four young men near Tarqoumiya checkpoint in Al-Khalil and took him in chain to a detention center in Kiryat Arba settlement.

Palestinian journalist Osama Shahin’s administrative detention extended for six months

29 June 2013

Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said on Wednesday, that the Israeli Supreme Court has rejected an appeal submitted by the journalist Osama Hussein Shahin, 31, for the second time without reasons.

The PPS confirmed that the court refused the prisoner’s appeal and approved its previous order to renew his administrative detention for more 6 additional months.

Shahin was arrested in October 2012 where he was administratively held for 6 months that were extended for 6 additional months.

Shahin was an activist in prisoners’ issue and the director of Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies. He spent 5 years in Israeli jails. He suffers many health problems most notably asthma.

The center considered Shahin’s arrest an Israeli systematic revenge against Palestinian human rights activists who seek to expose Israeli crimes.

Occupation forces confiscate Palestinian prisoner’s artwork

29 June 2013

nidal-fattash PNN reported that Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights condemned the confiscation of the prisoner Nidal Fattash’s artworks and drawings by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) in Meggido prison on June 28.

The IPS has interrogated and threatened Fattash, 23, from Salfit, to be moved into isolation due to his drawings, claiming that he keeps drawing the prison’s details in an attempt to escape from it, the prisoner’s mother told Ahrar Center.

The prisoner’s mother confirmed that her son’s drawings translate his suffering behind Israeli bars since his arrest in May 2012, saying that the confiscation of his drawings will not prevent him from completing his artwork.

Fattash aims to organize an exhibition of his drawings after his release to shed light on Palestinian prisoners’ plight, the mother added.

Fattash, a student at Faculty of Fine Arts at An-Najah National University, was sentenced to 15 months. He was arrested a few hours before his Graduation Project discussion, thus his mother discussed his Graduation Project instead of her son at the time.

Hearing adjourned in the case of hunger strikers Hareebat and Tabeesh

28 June 2013

On Thursday, June 27, Ma’an reported that a hearing was held in the occupation military court in Ofer in the cases of Adel Hareebat and Ayman Al-Tabeesh, administrative detainees held without charge or trial who have been hunger striking for 39 days as of June 30.

Despite their ill health, both attended the court hearing. Both are being held in the Ramle prison clinic at present. Jawad Boulos of the Palestinian Prisoners Society said that the Ofer court adjourned the hearing, saying that the Court of Appeal would call the occupation intelligence officers to hear their claims about the reasons for Hareebat and Tabeesh’s administrative detention. Boulos called for both to be released immediately, because they were detained for no reason.

Ayman Al-Tabeesh was previously held without charge or trial under administrative detention for three years, and Hareebat was imprisoned previously and released in 2008.

Ayman Hamdan, who has been on hunger strike since April 28, as well as Imad Batran, who has been on strike since May 7, both of whom are administrative detainees, were moved to the Assaf Soroka hospital from the Ramle prison clinic, also on June 27.

12 Palestinians seized by occupation soldiers throughout West Bank

28 June 2013

IMEMC reported on June 28, 2013 that twelve Palestinians were seized by Israeli occupation soldiers in a series of raids in the West Bank on Thursday evening and Friday morning:

Local sources in the Al-Mazra’a Ash-Sharqiyya village, near the central West Bank city of Ramallah, have reported that dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded the village, and kidnapped eight Palestinians.

The sources said that the army broke into several homes, and violently searched them before kidnapping eight residents.

The kidnapped have been identified as Bayan Azzam, Bilal Tawfiq I’jaaq, Imad Thameen Amer, Adel Samir Amer, Hakem Raed Shalaby, Samer Abdul-Qader Hijaz, Hisham Abdul-Qader Hijaz, and Adnan Ahmad Abu Alia.

All were cuffed, blindfolded and were moved to an unknown destination. Clashes have been reported during the invasion.

In related news, soldiers invaded the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, kidnapped one resident, and handed two other military variants ordering them to head to a nearby military base for interrogation.

The kidnapped resident has been identified as Mo’men Hafeth Seniora, 25, a member of the Palestinian National Security Forces, living in the Northern Neighborhood in the city.

Soldiers also invaded Jaba’ town, south of Jenin, and handed Hasan Suleiman Khaleeliyya, and Jaber Ahmad Kanaat, military warrants ordering them to head to the Salem military base for interrogation.

On Thursday evening, dozens of soldiers invaded the Al-Khader town, near Bethlehem, and kidnapped three Palestinians.

The army claimed uncovering sniper rifles, pistols, silencers and tear gas spray, the Radio Bethlehem 2000 reported.

Palestinian prisoner Awad al-Saidi launches hunger strike to protest solitary confinement

26 June 2013

Palestinian prisoner Awad Al-Saidi has gone on an open hunger strike protesting his solitary confinement, Ahrar Center for Prisoners Studies and Human Rights revealed on June 26, 2013.

Director of Ahrar Center, Fuad Al-Khuffash, said in a statement Tuesday that Saidi has been on hunger strike for the second day demanding an end to his isolation, adding that he would only end his strike outside his isolation cell.

He said that Saidi was held in isolation after he retaliated to the Israeli jailors’ attack on detained Hamas leader Abbas Assayed by hitting an Israeli soldier in March 2012 and he has been in isolation since then.

Al-Khuffash asked human rights groups to back Saidi’s case, adding that Saidi turned down an Israeli offer to stop his strike in return for ending his isolation within two weeks.

Seven prisoners held in isolation in Eshel, PPS reports

25 June 2013

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society reported on June 25 that seven Palestinian prisoners are still held in isolation in the Israeli Eshel prison. Ending isolation was an agreement term of the conclusion of the prisoners’ Karameh hunger strike in 2012.

A lawyer with the Society reported that the conditions of these prisoners are very difficult, after visiting one of the isolated prisoners, Awad Al-Saidi, saying that cells are infested with cockroaches and prison meals are poor quality.

The lawyer also visited Dirar Abu Sisi, who has been held in isolation since his arrest in 2011. He said that Abu Sisi was suffering from health problems. The lawyer quoted Abu Sisi as saying that his cell was like a grave as he did not see a human being since his arrest except the jailors and knew nothing about the outside world. Abu Sisi was kidnapped by Israeli intelligence from the Ukraine in 2011; there is an international campaign to demand his freedom and the end of his isolation.

Abu Sisi called for immediate action to end his isolation and that of the other prisoners the soonest.

A third isolated prisoner, Mahmoud Zahran, told the lawyer that the prison administration extended his isolation in absentia and he is to attend another hearing on 2/10/2013.

Samer Issawi denied medical tests as medical neglect and abuse is rampant in occupation prisons

25 June 2013

The Israeli Prison Authority in Shatta prison refused to allow prisoner Samer Issawi, who went on the longest hunger strike in the world, to undergo medical tests to assess his current health condition as he continues to recuperate from his hunger strike.

Issawi told his lawyer that he submitted a request to have medical examinations, but no response yet from the prison administration. Issawi was quickly removed from the hospital following his strike and has repeatedly been denied additional medical attention in the past months.

In addition, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said on Sunday that prisoner Ahmed Khallouf, who has been in jail for nine years, suffers from a deteriorating health condition and needs urgent surgery. The society added that its lawyer visited Khallouf and conveyed his appeal to international human rights groups, especially the Red Cross, to intervene with the Israeli prison authority to allow him to undergo surgery on one of his foot.

According his brother Nidal, prisoner Khallouf suffers from an infection, a painful swelling in his left foot and a constant fever, and needs surgery to treat the inflamed foot as prescribed by doctors. He stated that the Israeli prison administration is reluctant to provide his brother with proper medical treatment and allow him to have the surgery.

Prisoners in Askelan have been refusing treatment in the prison clinic since Sunday due to consistent medical neglect and maltreatment in the prison, reporting that there are over 30 ill prisoners in the prison including Fuad Shobaki, who suffers from a number of health issues, including high blood pressure, hemorrhoids and tooth pain, yet is denied all medical treatment.

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