[News] On International Women’s Day, stand with Palestinian women prisoners

[Anti-Imperialist News]

On International Women’s Day, stand with Palestinian women prisoners

Submitted by Maureen Clare Murphy on Thu, 03/08/2012 - 01:18
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/international-womens-day-stand-palestinian-women-prisoners 


The Palestinian prisoner rights group 
<http://electronicintifada.net/tags/addameer>Addameer 
<http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=450>put 
out a statement today marking International 
Women’s Day (March 8), calling for the release of 
all Palestinian female 
<http://electronicintifada.net/tags/political-prisoners>political prisoners.

Israel currently holds seven Palestinian female 
prisoners in detention, including 
<http://electronicintifada.net/tags/hana-al-shalabi>Hana 
al-Shalabi, who is being held without charge or 
trial and has been on hunger strike since 16 
February. Al-Shalabi vowed to continue her hunger 
strike today as a military judge postponed the 
decision in the appeal of al-Shalabi’s four-month 
administrative detention order.

<http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=449>In 
an update on al-Shalabi’s case today, Addameer reported:
Addameer lawyer Mahmoud Hassan noted that Hana 
appeared to be very weak in today’s hearing, and 
was handled roughly by soldiers. The military 
judge only allowed four of Hana’s lawyers to be 
present in the room and asked all others to 
leave. After hearing the legal arguments of her 
defense team and the military prosecution, the 
judge requested that the prosecution consider 
revising its position before he made a decision. 
He stated that he would make his decision on 
Sunday, 11 March, or Monday, 12 March.

Hana’s father arrived at Ofer military base at 
8:00am in order to see Hana, but the military 
judge and Israeli soldiers made every effort to 
ensure that he would not be able to see her even 
from a distance. Furthermore, the door of the 
courtroom in which the hearing took place was 
locked so that no one would be able to open the 
door for him to look through from outside. The 
military judge repeatedly rejected all of Hana’s 
lawyers’ inquiries related to this matter.

Prior to this afternoon’s hearing, members of the 
Nahshon­a special escort and intervention unit of 
the Israeli Prison Service known for its 
particularly brutal treatment of Palestinian 
prisoners­arrived to transfer Hana from Hasharon 
Prison to Ofer. Hana stated that prior to her 
transfer to the court, a female soldier informed 
Hana that she would be conducting a strip search 
in front of the other female prisoners. After 
arguing, the female soldier agreed to conduct the 
strip search in the bathroom. After the strip 
search, Hana was told that she would be punished 
upon her return to Hasharon. Hana’s arms and legs 
were then shackled in a very strict manner.


Calls for solidarity with Hana al-Shalabi

In Palestine, International Women’s Day is always 
an occasion to highlight the particular way that 
Israeli occupation impacts Palestinian women’s 
lives, but this year the day is being focused around Hana al-Shalabi.

<http://electronicintifada.net/content/interview-why-hana-al-shalabis-hunger-strike-focus-womens-day-palestine/11036>In 
an interview published today on The Electronic 
Intifada, the Union of Palestinian Women’s 
Committees leader Khitam Saafin reiterates that 
“Women must have solidarity [with Hana 
al-Shalabi] and support Hana in her strike.”

<http://ufree-p.net/Details.aspx?Type_ID=1&Rotator_ID=125>A 
similar call was made in a statement by 
Palestinian feminist and activist 
<http://electronicintifada.net/tags/janan-abdu>Janan 
Abdu, whose husband, civil society leader 
<http://electronicintifada.net/tags/ameer-makhoul>Ameer 
Makhoul, is currently held in Gilboa prison. In 
her statement, Abdu calls on international 
women’s and feminist organizations to stand in 
solidarity with Hana al-Shalabi and other 
Palestinian women prisoners, as well as the women 
family members of male Palestinian political prisoners.

<http://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/topics/right-to-life-and-body-integrity/541-international-womens-day-marks-hana-shalabis-22nd-day-of-hunger-strike>The 
Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations 
also made a statement in support of al-Shalabi on 
the occasion of Women’s Day, calling for international action:

PCHRO urges the international community to stand 
in solidarity with Hana, today of all days, as a 
first step towards ending its longstanding 
inaction in the face of Israel’s disregard for 
international law. Hana should not be forced to 
wait 66 days before the world sits up and takes 
notice. Given that Israel does not grant due 
process and humane treatment to Palestinians, she 
must be released immediately. By failing to do 
so, the international community will only 
contribute to the perpetuation of such violations 
and add to the climate of impunity that currently prevails in the OPT.

International solidarity groups have also made 
calls in support of Hana al-Shalabi on 
International Women’s Day. The Palestine 
Solidarity Group-Chicago (with which I am 
active), is 
<http://psgchicago.org/?p=581>encouraging 
supporters to send messages of support to Hana 
al-Shalabi and put pressure on Israel release 
her. The Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign 
has put out a similar 
<http://www.ipsc.ie/press-releases/hungering-for-justice-on-international-womens-day-ipsc-calls-for-the-release-of-hunger-striker-hana-shalabi-and-salutes-palestinian-womens-resistance>statement 
in support of Hana al-Shalabi and against 
Israel’s violations of Palestinian women’s rights.

<http://www.addameer.org/etemplate.php?id=450>Addameer’s 
International Women’s Day statement follows:
Calling for the Release of All Palestinian Female 
Political Prisoners on International Women’s Day: 
Free Lina Jarbuni, Wurud Qassem, Salwa Hassan, 
Alaa Jubeh, Hana Shalabi, Yusra Qaadan and Manal Suwan!

Ramallah, 7 March 2012 - Join Addameer and call 
for the immediate release of all female political 
prisoners and detainees from Israeli prisons on 
Women’s Day, 8 March 2012. As of March 2012, 
seven Palestinian women remain in Israel’s 
prisons and detention centers, including one 
woman, Hana Shalabi, currently held in 
administrative detention and on hunger strike for 21 days.

Over 10,000 Palestinian women have been arrested 
and detained since 1967 under Israeli military 
orders, which govern nearly every aspect of life 
in the occupied Palestinian territory. There were 
36 Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli 
prisons prior to the exchange deal concluded by 
the Israeli government and Hamas in October 2011. 
Hamas reported that Israel agreed to include all 
female political prisoners in the exchange deal. 
However, two women, Lina Jarbuni and Wurud 
Qassem, who have been in prison since before the 
first phase of releases on 18 October 2011, and 
an additional two women, Salwa Hassan and Alaa 
Jubeh, who were arrested before the second phase 
of releases on 18 December 2011, are still in Israeli detention.

Addameer aims to raise awareness about each of 
the seven women currently detained by Israel, two 
of whom were arrested just this week, in the 
hopes that continued international pressure will secure their release:
Lina Jarbuni was arrested on 18 April 2002 and 
sentenced to 17 years in Israeli prison. She is 
currently held in Hasharon Prison. She is from 
Arrabet al-Batoof, in the Galilee region. Lina is 36 years old.
Wurud Qassem was 20 years old when she was 
arrested on 4 October 2006. She was sentenced to 
6 years in prison and is currently held in Damon 
Prison. Wurud is from Al-Tira, in the Triangle 
region, and is now 25 years old.
Salwa Hassan was arrested on 19 October 2011, and 
is currently in Hasharon prison awaiting trial. 
She is 53 years old and lives in Hebron. Salwa is 
married and has six children.
Alaa Jubeh was only 17 years old when she was 
arrested from her home in Hebron on 7 December 
2011. She is currently detained in Hasharon 
prison and has not yet been sentenced. Under 
Israeli military orders, a Palestinian child’s 
sentence is decided on the basis of the child’s 
age at the time of sentencing, and not at the 
time when the alleged offense was committed. 
Therefore, because Alaa turned 18 on 29 January 
2012, she will now be sentenced as an adult.
Hana Shalabi was re-arrested on 16 February 2012, 
less than four months after being released as 
part of the prisoner exchange deal on 18 October 
2011. Hana had previously spent over two years in 
administrative detention. She received a 
six-month administrative detention order on 23 
February 2012, which was reduced to four months 
on 4 March. Hana began an open hunger strike 
immediately after her arrest, and will enter her 
22nd day without food on Women’s Day. She is 
currently detained in Hasharon Prison. Hana is 
from Burqin village, near Jenin, and is 30 years old.
Yusra Qaadan was arrested on 4 March 2012, while 
visiting a family member in prison. She is 
currently detained for interrogation in 
Beersheva. Yusra, 30 years old, is from Qalqilya. 
She is married and has four children.
Manal Suwan was arrested on 6 March 2012 and is 
currently under interrogation in Hasharon Prison. 
Manal, married and a mother of two, is 31 years 
old. She is from a village near Qalqilya.
Addameer reiterates its concern about the general 
conditions Palestinian female prisoners and 
detainees face while in Israeli prisons, which 
has been carefully documented. Addameer condemns 
the cruel and discriminatory treatment that 
Palestinian women prisoners and detainees are 
subjected to in prison, including sexual 
harassment, psychological and physical punishment 
and humiliation, and a lack of gender-sensitive 
healthcare. These practices are in contravention 
to international law and must stop immediately.

There are crucial steps that can be taken by the 
Israeli authorities, particularly the Israeli 
military and the Israeli Prison Service, to 
fulfill their obligations under international law 
in respect to the detention conditions of 
Palestinian women and in protection of their human rights:
End the systematic abuse of administrative 
detention and provide every female detainee and 
prisoner with access to the legal support she is 
entitled to under international humanitarian law;
Provide female prisoners with detailed 
information on the length of their detention and 
the date of their release without undue delay;
Ensure that prison and detention cells meet basic 
requirements of hygiene and health as required by 
the UN Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners;
Immediately bring to an end practices of sexual 
violence, including strip searches and invasive 
body searches and use of threats and/or other forms of sexual assault;
Conduct proper independent and serious 
investigations into complaints of assault, and 
provide safeguards until proper investigation 
outcomes are reached; Allow visits of specialized 
doctors adequately trained to deliver health care 
in a prison environment, including mental health 
doctors, and ensure that hospital/doctor visits are allowed when requested;
Allow open family visits and communication with family members via phone.
**** ACT NOW!

Here is how you can help these seven Palestinian 
women prisoners: Attend an event supporting 
Palestinian female prisoners on Women’s Day. 
Addameer would like to draw attention to various 
local actions supporting Hana Shalabi and women’s 
rights, including a demonstration at Qalandia 
checkpoint at 12:30pm, a march starting at 
Damascus Gate in Jerusalem at 2:00pm, and a 
protest in Haifa. Send a letter with the above 
statement and recommendations to:

Israeli Prison Service Ministry of Public 
Security, P.O. Box 18182, Jerusalem 91181

Brigadier General Danny Efroni, Military Advocate 
General, 6 David Elazar Street Harkiya, Tel Aviv 
Fax: +972 3 608 0366; +972 3 569 4526 Email: 
<mailto:arbel at mail.idf.il>arbel at mail.idf.il; 
<mailto:avimn at idf.gov.il>avimn at idf.gov.il

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense 
Ehud Barak Ministry of Defense 37 Kaplan Street, 
Hakirya Tel Aviv 61909 Fax: +972 3 691 6940 / 696 2757

Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi OC Central Command Nehemia 
Base, Central Command Neveh Yaacov, Jerusalam Fax: +972 2 530 5741

Col. Eli Bar On Legal Advisor of Judea and 
Samaria PO Box 5 Beit El 90631 Fax: +972 2 9977326

Write to your own elected representatives urging 
them to pressure Israel to release all Palestinian women prisoners.

Send letters of support to the women in prison. 
If you wish to write letters to a detainee - 
please contact Addameer at 
<mailto:info at addameer.ps>info at addameer.ps and we will provide you with details.





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