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<font size=3><br><br>
The Situation of Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails<br><br>
<br><br>
Talk by Ghassan Khader, London, 27 May 2004<br><br>
<br><br>
Organised by Al-Awda PRRC London and SOAS Palestine Society<br><br>
<br><br>
Chaired by Neil Gerrard MP, Chair of All-Party Committee on Refugees
<br>
and Member of the Joint Parliamentary Middle East Councils <br>
Commission of Enquiry on Palestinian Refugees Right of Return<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
Ladies and Gentlemen, I want to say thank you for your interest in <br>
the case of Palestinian prisoners and for coming to this talk, <br>
especially because I have come from Palestine and there people are <br>
suffering under the harsh policies of occupation. <br><br>
As you know, people in Palestine continue to suffer from the <br>
occupation, the continued building of settlements, and the racist <br>
wall, and the daily killings of my people, the arrests and detention
<br>
of thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. Israel continues
<br>
to deny international and UN resolutions and our national rights.
<br><br>
In this talk especially I will give an overview of the condition of
<br>
the suffering of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails. I will
<br>
give current examples of some of the prisoners including my brother
<br>
Hussam. <br><br>
<br><br>
Numbers of prisoners<br><br>
I will start talking about prisoners men, women, and childrens'
<br>
situation inside the prisons. I will also talk about the families <br>
and their suffering. <br><br>
When the Al-Aqsa Intifada started in September 2000, the numbers of
<br>
people arrested increased a lot before the Al-Aqsa intifada, there
<br>
were 765 prisoners because many had been released. Now the total <br>
number of prisoners is over 7,200. All the figures I will use in my
<br>
talk are from the Al-Asra Association, an NGO, and the Palestinian <br>
Authority Ministry of Detainees Affairs. <br><br>
The total number of prisoners is 7,200 of these, 2,300 have been <br>
charged, 3,700 are still waiting trial, and 1,200 are held under <br>
administrative detention which is renewed regularly. <br><br>
Because of these increased numbers, the Israelis opened new prisons
<br>
some which had been closed and some were newly built for example,
<br>
Al-Nakab, which was closed and now has 1,600 Palestinian prisoners <br>
from the West Bank and Gaza, 600 of whom have not been charged and <br>
are held under administrative detention which is usually extended <br>
every 6 months. The other prisoners in Al-Nakab have been charged <br>
and some are still waiting to be charged. <br><br>
<br><br>
Harsh conditions inside the prisons<br><br>
· If we want to talk
about the condition inside Israeli <br>
prisons, it is like talking about harsh and dramatic reality for the
<br>
National Movement of Prisoners. This Movement continues to struggle
<br>
for the Palestinian people and their freedom, rights and <br>
independence. <br><br>
· The Israeli Prison
Administration creates the most <br>
difficult and impossible conditions in the prisons. For example, <br>
prisoners' representatives and leaders are often kept in isolation <br>
and separate from other prisoners. <br><br>
· Prisoners are held
under a tight regime and routine; for <br>
example, every morning the guards come and count them, and then <br>
prisoners are given breakfast. Again in the evening they are <br>
counted. Prisoners who are not held in isolation are allowed out of
<br>
their cells for only up to 2 hours each day, and sometimes this is <br>
also stopped for small reasons. <br><br>
· There are also often
raids inside the prisons when <br>
soldiers suddenly enter the cells and rooms and search and often <br>
beat the prisoners, and throw gas. <br><br>
· Prisoners are kept 25
to 30 men in each room, and the <br>
space of these rooms is 4 by 5 metres square, with the beds and <br>
toilet inside the room. This makes difficult living conditions for <br>
the prisoners in these overcrowded conditions; people cannot relax,
<br>
they are under big pressure all the time and this causes tension and
<br>
anger for some prisoners, and this is the aim of the Israelis. Some
<br>
prisoners are also put with criminals.<br><br>
· Usually the Israeli
Prison Administration moves prisoners <br>
from section to section inside the prisons, and also from one prison
<br>
to another, with no reason. The purpose of this is to put the <br>
Palestinian prisoners under bad psychological conditions and high <br>
levels of anxiety that is also part of the psychological war against
<br>
prisoners.<br><br>
· Prisoners also
undertake individual or group strikes, <br>
including hunger strikes, to protest against being held in isolation
<br>
or other bad conditions they are held in. This is the only way they
<br>
can take action to demand their rights.<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
Torture<br><br>
Torture of prisoners is routine with hundreds of prisoners tortured
<br>
every year. This torture includes violent shaking for many minutes <br>
which makes prisoners unconscious and throw-up and is a very <br>
dangerous method which often has lasting health effects and has been
<br>
the cause of death of a number of prisoners. Prisoners are also <br>
chained with hand-cuffs to small chairs by their hands and legs for
<br>
many hours and even days; lack of sleep; prisoners being deprived of
<br>
food and drink; prisoners are hooded with old sacks with bad smell <br>
for days at a time; prisoners are kept in small cells completely <br>
isolated from the outside world and loud music is played. All this <br>
torture takes place against what the Israelis call `war on <br>
terrorism'. For us this is our struggle for independence and against
<br>
occupation. <br><br>
In terms of numbers, 96% of prisoners suffered from torture; 82% <br>
were exposed to the Shabeh position; 88% were forced to stand for <br>
long periods of time; and 97% were deprived of sleep. <br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
<br><br>
The UN Committee Against Torture has said that the use of these <br>
methods of torture by Israel breaks the Conventions and <br>
international laws which Israel signed in 1986 and in 1991 they <br>
again confirmed this. However, since the start of the Al-Aqsa <br>
Intifada in 2000, over 80% of prisoners have been tortured. <br><br>
My brother Hussam, for example, was under interrogation for 90 days.
<br>
Many times during these 90 days he suffered from sleep deprivation,
<br>
violent shaking, being chained to a small chair by his hands and <br>
feet for days. He has talked to his lawyer about the torture he <br>
suffered. After his arrest in March 2003, the World Organisation <br>
Against Torture (OMCT) issued an appeal expressing their grave <br>
concern "for the physical and psychological integrity of Mr Khader,
<br>
given the excessive use of force during his arrest, and the fact <br>
that he is being detained incommunicado, with the heightened risk <br>
that he will be subjected to ill-treatment or torture that this <br>
entails". <br><br>
Hussam was adopted as `Prisoner of the Month' by Mandela Institute <br>
for Human Rights in Palestine in August 2003. <br><br>
<br>
<br>
<br><br>
Prisoner being held in Shabeh position<br><br>
<br><br>
Medical conditions of the prisoners<br><br>
The Israeli Prison Administration intentionally leaves prisoners <br>
often without proper medical care and treatment. Prisoners are not <br>
always checked by doctors and are often given asprin as a treatment
<br>
for many things. <br><br>
The lack of proper medical treatment means that many prisoners <br>
suffer bad health and have different diseases which spread in the <br>
overcrowded conditions. A number of prisoners have died as a result
<br>
of not good medical treatment the most recent person who died was
<br>
Bashir Aweis from Balata Refugee Camp who died in Megiddo prison. He
<br>
died after interrogation and was about 30 years old, with two young
<br>
children. <br><br>
<br><br>
Women Prisoners<br><br>
· During the Al-Aqsa
Intifada, the Israeli army arrested <br>
tens of Palestinian women, and now there are about 90 women <br>
prisoners. Of these, 3 were arrested before the intifada and the <br>
rest since. 24 of them have been charged, and 65 are still waiting <br>
for their trials. Recently many of the women prisoners have been <br>
moved from A-Ramle Prison to Telmond Prison. <br><br>
· Women prisoners also
suffer from humiliating conditions <br>
and treatment. <br><br>
· Some of the women have
had children inside the prisons.<br><br>
<br><br>
Child Prisoners<br><br>
During the Al-Aqsa intifada, over 2,200 children were arrested, and
<br>
of these, about 362 children are in prison at the moment aged <br>
under 18. <br><br>
Child prisoners have also suffered from torture with up to 83% <br>
subjected to torture including thick sacks put on their head and <br>
being held in the shabeh position. <br><br>
And 12% of child prisoners when they are released continue to suffer
<br>
from physical and psychological problems. <br><br>
The children are distributed between different prisons, 4 of which <br>
are controlled by Mukhabart, and the others are run by soldiers and
<br>
the police. <br><br>
Children as young as 12 years old can be charged under Israeli <br>
Military Orders. <br><br>
Child prisoners are also sometimes kept with adult prisoners which
<br>
is against the Fourth Geneva Convention and other international laws
<br>
and agreements. <br><br>
<br><br>
The suffering of the prisoners' families<br>
The prisoners' families suffering starts from when their sons and <br>
daughters are arrested. This usually happens in a very violent way <br>
with the door being blown up, and the family put on the street with
<br>
children screaming and crying. <br><br>
When their son or daughter is first arrested, families do not have <br>
any news about them, and often have to wait for at least a month to
<br>
hear from the International Red Cross. <br><br>
Since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa intifada, for the first few years
<br>
there were no family visits. Recently this is now allowed to some <br>
families from cities like Ramallah. But families from Nablus which
<br>
are the highest number of prisoners visits are still not allowed.
<br>
The families have made an association and campaign for visits and <br>
for their sons and daughter's rights. <br><br>
Families who can visit the prisoners have to travel for hours to <br>
visit each month, and can visit for about 45 minutes behind dark <br>
glass screens. And visits are often cancelled because of curfews and
<br>
closure. <br><br>
Prisoners have also gone on strike because of the conditions of <br>
family visits for example, they cannot touch their children and <br>
cannot even see their families clearly because of the dark glass.
<br><br>
<br><br>
Hussam Khader<br><br>
<br><br>
Hussam is a member of the PLC and the Chair of the Committee for the
<br>
Defence of Palestinian Refugee Rights. He was arrested on 17 March <br>
2003 and has been detained since then in isolated conditions. <br>
Contrary to international law, Hussam is being held illegal inside <br>
Israel, and not the Occupied Territories. He was held for nearly one
<br>
year in solitary confinement after a long period of 90 days <br>
interrogation. Full details of Hussam's case are on the website: <br>
<a href="http://www.hussamkhader.org/" eudora="autourl">www.hussamkhader.org</a>.
<br><br>
As an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Hussam
<br>
Khader, like Marwan Barghouti, should have immunity from arrest and
<br>
detention, as outlined in the Agreements between the PLO and the <br>
Israel government. However, the Israeli government does not respect
<br>
these agreements, especially when it relates to Palestinian <br>
prisoners and the Fourth Geneva Convention. Hussam is known for his
<br>
commitment to the right of return for Palestinian refugees, to human
<br>
rights, as well as his statements in the fight against corruption.
<br><br>
A refugee himself, Hussam Khader is an outspoken advocate for <br>
refugee rights and founder of the Committee for the Defence of the <br>
Palestinian Refugee Rights, which insists on the right of return for
<br>
Palestinian refugees to be included in any peace treaty between <br>
Israel and the Palestinians. <br><br>
Hussam was the first to be forced out of his country because of his
<br>
role as a leader during the first Intifada when he was exiled on <br>
January 13th, 1988. At 2 in the morning all the neighbouring houses
<br>
and the whole area were surrounded by the Israeli army. At 2.45am <br>
they blew up the front door without warning and immediately opened <br>
fire. There were four children living in the house, aged eleven, <br>
eight and five years old, as well as nine months old. The soldiers <br>
ordered all of the family out of the house, and arrested Hussam.
<br><br>
In May 2004, his trial was delayed for the 6th time, as the main <br>
prosecution witness withdrew evidence, he said, was obtained under <br>
torture. Hussam's next Court hearing has been set for 29 June 2004.
<br>
Hussam has been subjected to physical and psychological torture, <br>
including sleep deprivation, interrogation for over 90 days, and <br>
being held in solitary confinement for 1 year. During this period, <br>
he has not had regular access to his lawyer, nor to family visits, <br>
and, against international law, is being held inside Israel and not
<br>
the Occupied Territories. Hussam has been moved to 7 different <br>
prisons inside Israel, and until a hunger strike for 9 days in March
<br>
2004 to protest against his conditions of detention, he had been <br>
held in solitary confinement for a year. <br><br>
In March 2004, the Palestinian Legislative Council, the Palestinian
<br>
Minister of Prisoners Affairs, and Fateh's leadership all issued <br>
statements condemning the detention of the Palestinian parliament <br>
members, Hussam Khader and Marwan Barghouti
(<a href="http://www.freebarghouti.org/" eudora="autourl">www.freebarghouti.org</a>).
<br><br>
Also in October 2003, the Governing Council of the Inter-<br>
Parliamentary Union adopted a resolution expressing its deep concern
<br>
about Hussam Khader's arrest, his conditions of detention and the <br>
lack of evidence supplied to his lawyers (see <br>
<a href="http://www.ipu.org/english/issues/hrdocs/173/pal04.htm" eudora="autourl">www.ipu.org/english/issues/hrdocs/173/pal04.htm</a>).
<br><br>
<br><br>
Conclusion<br><br>
Many Human Rights organisations have for many years documented the <br>
human rights abuses and torture of Palestinian prisoners. In its <br>
Annual Report last year, 2003, Amnesty International expressed its <br>
concern about Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, especially the
<br>
more that 3,800 Palestinian prisoners who were tried before military
<br>
courts in trials like Hussam is. According to Amnesty <br>
International, these did not meet international standards, and that
<br>
ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees was widespread. <br><br>
In a recent statement released from prison, Hussam Khader called <br>
upon Palestinians and the world at large to pressure Israel to meet
<br>
their responsibilities and treat Palestinian prisoners with the <br>
dignity and respect they deserve. <br><br>
We Palestinians will continue to fight and to struggle for our <br>
rights and our dignity. Despite all the things that have happened <br>
and continue to happen for example, the demolitions, the killings,
<br>
the invasions and the occupation - we do not feel tired. <br><br>
<br><br>
Finally, thank you for coming and thank you for your interest.<br><br>
<br><br>
Ghassan Khader is a founding member of the Popular Committee in <br>
Solidarity with <br><br>
PLC member Hussam Khader and Palestinian Prisoners <br>
(<a href="http://www.hussamkhader.org/" eudora="autourl">www.hussamkhader.org</a>).
He is also Co-ordinator of the Committee <br>
Representing Relatives of Palestinian Prisoners and Public Relations
<br>
Co-ordinator of the Committee for the Defence of Palestinian Refugee
<br>
Rights, Palestine.<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
________________________ <br><br>
<br><br>
WHAT YOU CAN DO:<br><br>
1. Sign the petition on Hussam's website
<a href="http://www.hussamkhader.org/" eudora="autourl">www.hussamkhader.org</a>
<br><br>
<br><br>
2. Write to your MP or MEP and ask them to write to the Foreign <br>
Secretary and ask if the British Government, under its obligations <br>
as a signatory of the 4th Geneva Convention, the International <br>
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against <br>
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or <br>
Punishment (all of which Israel is also signatory to) can raise the <br>
following issues with the Israeli Government:<br><br>
<br><br>
· The conditions of detention of Hussam Khader his <br>
detention inside Israel and not the Occupied Territories<br><br>
· To demand an investigation into the allegations of torture <br>
that he has suffered;<br><br>
· His defence team's access to information on the evidence <br>
again him;<br><br>
· To ensure that Hussam and other political prisoners have <br>
full access to lawyers, heath services and family visits. Hussam <br>
Khader suffers from severe spinal problems and has not received <br>
adequate health treatment for this;<br><br>
· His right and the rights of other political prisoners - <br>
to judicial guarantees ensuring a fair trial especially given that <br>
Hussam is being tried under the military courts system in Israel.<br><br>
<br><br>
3. Write to the following people about Hussam's case, and the <br>
conditions of all Palestinian political prisoners:<br><br>
<br><br>
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister: rohm@pmo.gov.il; pm_eng@pmo.gov.uk<br><br>
Yosef Lapid, Minister of Justice: sar@justice.gov.il <br><br>
Ambassador Yaakov Levy: mission.Israel@gva.mfa.gov.il <br><br>
<br><br>
4. Write to the media Spread the word speak to your local <br>
media and political representatives about the over 7,000 Palestinian <br>
political prisoners and the illegality of Hussam's imprisonment.<br><br>
<br><br>
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