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<font size=3><br><br>
</font><div align="center"><h1><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=6><b>Campaign
for the Rights of Political Prisoners</b></font></h1></div>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2> <br><br>
</font><div align="center"><h2><b>Palestinian Political Prisoners in
Israeli Prisons Begin Hunger Strike</b></h2></div>
<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2> <br><br>
To all Friends and Supporters of Human Rights around the World:<br><br>
<br><br>
The <b><i>Committee for the Families of Political Prisoners and Detainees
in the West Bank</i></b>, 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.<br><br>
<br><br>
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. <br><br>
<br><br>
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. <br><br>
<br><br>
Some of the conditions that the prisoners are protesting
include:<br><br>
<br><br>
¸ Arbitrary and indiscriminate
beating of prisoners in their cells, in prison courtyards and during
transportation to and from prisons.<br><br>
¸ Arbitrary and indiscriminate firing
of tear gas into prisonerā€™s cells and prison courtyards and
intimidation of prisoners by guards entering their cells with guns.
<br><br>
¸ Humiliating strip searches of
prisoners in full view of other prisoners and guards each time they enter
or exit their cells<br><br>
¸ Subjecting prisoners to solitary
confinement for excessive periods of time, for months and even
years.<br><br>
¸ 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<br><br>
¸ Confining children with adult
prisoners and political prisoners with criminals <br><br>
¸ Withholding or delaying medical
treatment and the provision of medication to sick detainees<br><br>
¸ Severely restricting the category
of family members entitled to visit prisoners thus denying visitation
rights to other close family members<br><br>
¸ 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 <br><br>
¸ 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<br><br>
¸ 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.<br><br>
¸ Providing such poor visitation
facilities that prisoners find it difficult to see or hear their loved
ones<br><br>
¸ Maintaining prisoners on near
starvation diets that are insufficient to sustain health.<br><br>
¸ Applying rules concerning items
that prisoners may receive from their families arbitrarily and
inconsistently, on the whim of the guards, with each visit.<br><br>
¸ Withdrawing studying privileges
that in the past allowed prisoners to continue their high school or
university studies through correspondence courses <br><br>
<br><br>
The treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israel violates both
international and Israeli laws, as well as rules governing the
administration of Israeli prisons. The <b><i>Committee for the
Families</i></b> is planning a series of activities in the West Bank to
coincide with the start of the hunger strike on August 15<sup>th</sup>. 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 prisonersā€™ strike lasts. The
Palestinian Prime Ministerā€™s office has declared August 18<sup>th</sup>
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.<br><br>
<br><br>
Other planned activities are: On Friday, August 20, after Juma prayers at
mosques processions will march towards the Solidarity Tents. On Saturday,
August 21<sup>st</sup>, 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
23<sup>rd</sup> children of the prisoners will lead a procession. On
August 25<sup>th</sup> 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 26<sup>th</sup> the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Arun Gandhi, will
lead a mass procession in Ramallah. On August 29<sup>th</sup> all members
of the public are invited to join the open hunger strike and in the
evening candlelight processions will be held. <br><br>
<br><br>
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.<br><br>
<br><br>
We ask that 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.<br><br>
<br><br>
Also, please register your protest with your own political
representatives and government ministers.<br><br>
<br><br>
Please send a copy of your protest message to
<a href="mailto:alhureih@yahoo.com">alhureih@yahoo.com</a> 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
<a href="http://www.palsolidarity.org/prisoners">www.palsolidarity.org/prisoners</a>
or telephone (972) 2 277 4602 or email: <a href="mailto:info@palsolidarity.org">info@palsolidarity.org</a><br><br>
<br><br>
With much appreciation for your valued support,<br><br>
<br><br>
Mahmoud Ziadi, General Secretariat,<br><br>
Families of Palestinian Political Prisoners<br><br>
PO Box 2151, Ramallah, Palestine.<br><br>
<br><br>
List of Israeli government officials:<br><br>
<br><br>
</font><h3><b>Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon Minister of Defense, Shaul Mofaz </b></h3><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2>Office of the Prime Minister Ministry of Defense, 37 Kaplan St.<br><br>
3 Kaplan St. PO Box 187 Tel Aviv 61909, Israel <br><br>
Jerusalem 91919, Israel</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3> </font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2>Fax: +972-3-6962757 / -691 7915<br><br>
Telegram: Prime Minister, Jerusalem Israel email: <a href="mailto:sar@mod.gov.il">sar@mod.gov.il</a> or <br><br>
Fax: +972 2 6705475 pniot@mod.gov.il<br><br>
email:<a href="mailto:pm_eng@pmo.gov.il">pm_eng@pmo.gov.il</a><br><br>
<br><br>
</font><h3><b>Minister of Justice, Yosef Lapid Minister of Interior Security</b></h3><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=2>Ministry of Justice Tzahi Haneghi<br><br>
29 Salah al-Din St. Kiryat Hamemshala, POB 18182<br><br>
Jerusalem 91010, Israel Jerusalem 91181<br><br>
Telegram: Justice Minister, Jerusalem Israel Tel: 972-2-5309999 Fax: 2-5847872<br><br>
Fax: +972 2 6285492 email: <a href="mailto:sar@justice.gov.il">sar@justice.gov.il</a> email: sar@mops.gov.il <br><br>
<br><br>
Addresses of Israeli embassies worldwide can be found at <a href="http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/isreal1.htm">www.embassyworld.com/embassy/isreal1.htm</a> or go to the Government of Israel website at <a href="http://www.info.gov.il/FirstGov/">www.info.gov.il/FirstGov/</a> <br>
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
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(415) 863-9977<br>
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