[News] Palestine: Women Political Prisoners, Prisoners Begin Fasting
News at freedomarchives.org
News at freedomarchives.org
Mon Aug 16 08:45:36 EDT 2004
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From: tirtza tauber [mailto:trn1 at zahav.net.il]
Sent: Saturday, August 14, 2004 10:50 PM
To: Coalition of Women for Peace
Subject: [CWJP] Fw: newsletter, campaign
Women`s Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP)
P.O.
Box 31811, Tel Aviv
Tel
and Fax: +972-3-5227124
E-mail:
<mailto:havakell at 012.net.il>havakell at 012.net.il
Newsletter
August 2004
Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israeli Prisons Begin Hunger Strike.
Included the letter by the Committee for the Families of Political
Prisoners and Detainees
NEVE TIRZA PRISON
There are now altogether approximately 100 Palestinian women political
prisoners.
On 13 June one group, about half of the women, was transferred back to
Neve Tirza from Hasharon Prison. Though they took with them, among other
belongings, the purchases they had made in the Hasharon prison canteen and
the material for handicrafts, these items were not handed over by the Neve
Tirza prison authorities, who also withheld the toys belonging to Marwat
Taha's baby boy Wael, one and a half years old.
The representatives elected by the women prisoners were not recognized by
the prison authorities until August 2004.
HASHARON PRISON
The rooms are dirty and infected with mice and cockroaches. The heat is
unbearable, The windows are closed and covered so that hardly any air or
daylight can enter. There are not enough ventilators, and often the
electricity is cut off, so that even the existing ventilators do not work.
PROBLEMS IN HASHARON AND NEVE TIRZA
The wardens' attitude is extremely hostile; they humiliate and offend the
prisoners.
The food is insufficient, of inferior quality or even spoilt, it is dirty,
often containing insects and worms. Sometimes there are not enough
portions for all the women.
The medical care is insufficient and unprofessional. Whatever the
complaints of the women, the male nurse gives them a painkiller. If and
when a woman at last succeeds to be seen by the prison doctor, she is
supposed to undress in the presence of male wardens, which obviously she
has to refuse. - After falling down, Majed Nas had her swollen leg bandaged
by a male nurse. Only two weeks later she was seen by a doctor and obtained
a prescription, but the medication was not available in the prison. -
Dental care was even more difficult to obtain than regular medical care,
but as of July the prisoners are supposed to have regular access to a dentist.
Letters and newspapers are not distributed regularly, and sometimes even
letters that bear an exact address are returned to the sender. - Zakya
'Awisah, an administrative detainee, who was released in July, had received
many letters of support. The commander of the wing where she had been held,
had threatened that if she continued to receive so many letters, she would
not be allowed to write and receive any letters at all.
Mothers with babies are living in the same cells with other prisoners.
Contrary to what is an accepted custom in the section of the criminal
prisoners, the doors of the political prisoners' cells where small children
live are not permitted to remain open during daytime. On behalf of the
mothers and their babies, the lawyer of The Association for Civil Rights in
Israel (ACRI), Sonia Boulous, and of WOFPP, Taghrid Jahshan, are preparing
an appeal against this condition.
Permission to stand for matriculation exams is given arbitrarily. Out of
sixteen women who asked to pass the exams, only five were given permission.
The lawyers of ACRI and WOFPP appealed this situation. The prison
authorities stated that standing for these exams is a privilege, and they
can decide on whom to bestow this privilege. The High Court's opinion,
expressed on 21 July, was that standing for matriculation exams is not a
privilege but a basic right and recommended that the prison authorities
take this into consideration. Apparently, standing for matriculations exams
will be allowed according to arrangements of the Education Ministry of the
Palestinian Authority.
The arbitrary punishments meted out to the prisoners are increasing and are
becoming harsher.
There is a new method of punishing the women by imposing fines that are
taken out of their prison canteen accounts. Considering that they have to
buy additional food - in order to supplement the poor prison diet - and
other basics, this is a very serious punishment.
They are often put into solitary confinement in very small and very dirty
cells.
They are prevented from receiving family visits.
Quite often they are beaten, but the prison authorities do not admit this.
They claim that beating is not a punishment but a method of self defense.
On a hot day at the beginning of July, during recreation time, the women
were having fun splashing water on each other. For this, seven women were
fined NIS 200.- (US$ 50) each, and three women among the seven were
punished additionally by being deprived of their daily walk in the yard for
one week, and of family visits for two months.
After a bucketful of water got spilled on the foot of a warden, Maha El'ak
was beaten, tied to her bed for a day and a half, and not allowed to go to
the toilet. She was held in solitary confinement for one month.
After the assassination of the Palestinian leader in Gaza, El-Rantissi,
some women returned the food and held a mourning ceremony by saying
prayers. For this, eight women were fined. NIS 400.- (US$ 100) each, they
were not permitted to have family visits for two months, and some of them
were put into solitary confinement for a few days.
Su'ad Ghazal was punished for writing details about their prison conditions
in a letter to a French Human Rights Organization. Her punishment was a
fine of NIS 250.- (US$ 65) and no family visits for two months.
Su'ad Abu Hamed had switched off the light in her cell, after a warden had
switched it on at 4 o'clock in the morning. For this she was held in
solitary confinement and fined NIS 450.- (US$ 112). Amne Muna was punished
in her turn by being fined NIS 150.- (US$ 38) because she tried to
intervene on behalf of Su'ad Abu Hamed.
Lawyers' visits are becoming more difficult. Lawyers have to ask a
permission to visit at least two days before the visit would take place,
and they may be refused. A few times the WOFPP's lawyer, Taghrid Jahshan,
received permission to visit, but on arriving at the prison, the prison
authorities, offering various pretexts, did not let her see the prisoners.
PETAH TIKVA DETENTION CENTER
Tali Fahima, 28 years old, from Tel Aviv, was detained on 9 August. She was
interrogated by the "Shabak" (General Security Services). Her lawyer told
the court that Tali had been interrogated for about 12 hours without any
rest, with her hands tied behind her back. She had already been detained in
May 2004, some time after she had appeared on television, stating that she
opposed the assassination of Palestinian leaders and was ready to serve as
a human shield.
THE ISRAELI MILITARY PRISON FOR WOMEN
Laura Milo, a conscientious objector who refuses to serve in the Israeli
Army (IDF), was sentenced for the first time in March 2004 to one month in
military jail. She was then sent to the "Military Commission of Conscience"
which decided that her refusal to serve was based on political reasons and
not reasons of conscience. She was therefore sentenced again in July to 28
days in military jail.
Campaign for the Rights of Political Prisoners
Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israeli Prisons Begin Hunger Strike
To all Friends and Supporters of Human Rights around the World:
The Committee for the Families of Political Prisoners and Detainees in the
West Bank, representing 7,500 political prisoners currently in Israeli
prisons, is seeking the support of the international community in its
campaign against the gross violations of their rights that the prisoners
are enduring and against the appalling conditions under which they are
being detained.
Political prisoners in Israeli prisons will be commencing a hunger strike
on Sunday, August 15, 2004 to protest their conditions. They complain that
the conditions they experience are reminiscent of the former Abu Ghoraib
facility in Iraq which gained worldwide notoriety recently for its
treatment of detainees.
When informed by the prisoners of their intended hunger strike prison
authorities responded with harsher treatment, vowing not to give in to any
of the prisoners’ demands even if the hunger strikes result in the deaths
of prisoners.
Some of the conditions that the prisoners are protesting include:
â— Arbitrary and indiscriminate beating of prisoners in their cells,
in prison courtyards and during transportation to and from prisons.
◠Arbitrary and indiscriminate firing of tear gas into prisoner’s
cells and prison courtyards and intimidation of prisoners by guards
entering their cells with guns.
â— Humiliating strip searches of prisoners in full view of other
prisoners and guards each time they enter or exit their cells
â— Subjecting prisoners to solitary confinement for excessive periods
of time, for months and even years.
â— Arbitrary imposition of financial penalties on prisoners for minor
infractions, arbitrary revocation of visitation rights and extended
confinement to cells as punishment for minor infractions such as singing or
speaking too loudly
â— Confining children with adult prisoners and political prisoners
with criminals
â— Withholding or delaying medical treatment and the provision of
medication to sick detainees
â— Severely restricting the category of family members entitled to
visit prisoners thus denying visitation rights to other close family members
â— Arbitrary denial of travel permits to family members of prisoners
living in the West Bank or Gaza so that they cannot travel to prisons to
see their relatives
â— Imposing conditions on travel for family members and obstacles that
result in travel of a few hours being prolonged to 16 or 17 hours for a
45-minute visit
â— Conducting humiliating strip searches of visiting family members
even though they are usually separated from the prisoners by a full glass
barrier as well as a wire mesh barrier.
â— Providing such poor visitation facilities that prisoners find it
difficult to see or hear their loved ones
â— Maintaining prisoners on near starvation diets that are
insufficient to sustain health.
â— Applying rules concerning items that prisoners may receive from
their families arbitrarily and inconsistently, on the whim of the guards,
with each visit.
â— Withdrawing studying privileges that in the past allowed prisoners
to continue their high school or university studies through correspondence
courses
The treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israel violates both
international and Israeli laws, as well as rules governing the
administration of Israeli prisons. The Committee for the Families is
planning a series of activities in the West Bank to coincide with the start
of the hunger strike on August 15th. A press conference in Ramallah will
kick off the campaign. Hunger strike solidarity tents will be set up in the
centre of all the cities in the West Bank and in all the Red Cross Centres
and will be occupied by the public around the clock for as long as the
prisoners’ strike lasts. The Palestinian Prime Minister’s office has
declared August 18th a National Day for Prisoners for all Palestinians to
show solidarity with the prisoners. All government ministers, members of
the Palestinian National Council and heads of all political parties will
join the public in the Solidarity Tents and fast in support of the prisoners.
Other planned activities are: On Friday, August 20, after Jum’a prayers
at mosques, processions will march towards the Solidarity Tents. On
Saturday, August 21st, Palestinians in various Israeli cities will march,
together with other supporters, to the prisons where Palestinian political
prisoners are being held and on Sunday, August 22, after church services
processions will march to the Solidarity Tents. These processions will be
held every weekend during the campaign. On August 23rd children of the
prisoners will lead a procession. On August 25th all professionals involved
in the Justice system in Palestine will congregate at the Solidarity Tents
in their official legal gowns and will lead a procession to the centre of
their cities. On August 26th the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Arun Gandhi,
will lead a mass procession in Ramallah. On August 29th all members of the
public are invited to join the open hunger strike, and in the evening
candlelight processions will be held.
The families of the Palestinian political prisoners plead with you, the
members of the international community, to join in solidarity with our
sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who are being held
in Israeli prisons by organizing an International Day of Solidarity with
Palestinian Prisoners on September 4, 2004. We ask you to demonstrate,
march, hold silent vigils or activities to publicize the plight of the
political prisoners and bring pressure on the government of Israel to cease
these violations of law and to treat Palestinian prisoners as human beings
entitled to basic human rights.
We ask you also register your protests by letter, fax, email, or telephone
to the officials listed below. Ask them to stop the harsh treatment of
Palestinian political prisoners and to accede to the demands of the
striking prisoners so that the conditions under which they are imprisoned
are consistent with international norms of human rights and basic decency.
Also, please register your protest with your own political representatives
and governments ministers.
Please send a copy of your protest message to
<mailto:alhureih at yahoo.com>alhureih at yahoo.com Messages of support from
organizations would also be appreciated by the prisoners and their
families. Please send them to the same address with some details of the
organization. For more information visit our temporary website at
<http://www.palsolidarity.org/prisoners>www.palsolidarity.org/prisoners or
telephone (972) 2 277 4602 or email:
<mailto:info at palsolidarity.org>info at palsolidarity.org
With much appreciation for your valued support,
Mahmoud Ziadi, General Secretariat,
Families of Palestinian Political Prisoners
PO Box 2151, Ramallah, Palestine.
List of Israeli government officials:
Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon Minister of
Defense, Shaul Mofaz
Office of the Prime Minister Ministry of
Defense, 37 Kaplan St.
3 Kaplan St. PO Box 187 Tel Aviv
61909, Israel
Jerusalem 91919, Israel Fax:
+972-3-6962757 / -691 7915
Telegram: Prime Minister, Jerusalem Israel email:
<mailto:sar at mod.gov.il>sar at mod.gov.il or
Fax: +972 2
6705475
<mailto:pniot at mod.gov.il>pniot at mod.gov.il
email:<mailto:pm_eng at pmo.gov.il>pm_eng at pmo.gov.il
Minister of Justice, Yosef Lapid Minister of
Interior Security
Ministry of Justice Tzahi
Hanegbi
29 Salah al-Din St. Kiryat
Hamemshala, POB 18182
Jerusalem 91010, Israel Jerusalem
91181
Telegram: Justice Minister, Jerusalem Israel Tel: 972-2-5309999
Fax: 2-5847872
Fax: +972 2 6285492 email:
<mailto:sar at justice.gov.il>sar at justice.gov.il email:
sar at mops.gov.il
Addresses of Israeli embassies worldwide can be found at
<http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/isreal1.htm>www.embassyworld.com/embassy/isreal1.htm
or go to the Government of Israel website at
<http://www.info.gov.il/FirstGov/>www.info.gov.il/FirstGov/
_________________________________
Coalition of Women for a Just Peace
info at coalitionofwomen4peace.org
<http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org>http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org
The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org
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