[Ppnews] Years of solitary confinement in Israeli jails

[Political Prisoner News]

Years of solitary confinement in Israeli jails: a lawyer is able to 
meet with several prisoners

http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1269

(Jenin) Ali Samoudi
Friday, 22 December 2006

Lawyer Shadi Younis reports that the sanitary conditions and the 
state of detention for Palestinian political prisoners in solitary 
confinement in Israeli prisons is deteriorating. He was speaking of 
many political prisoners, including leaders from the Hamas party who 
were arrested upon winning office in the Legislative Council 
elections held on 25 January 2006 and those who were arrested before 
that time.

Younis said, "The policies and practices of the prison 
administration, which took away all rights from the detainees, 
deprived them of visits and isolated them absolutely from the outside 
world, are deplorable."

Younis issued an appeal on behalf of the political prisoners for 
intervention from humanitarian institutions. He is asking for 
international action and pressure to be applied to the Israeli 
authorities to at least provide medical care.

The lawyer was able to meet with four "life sentence" Palestinians in 
solitary confinement in Jalboua. In several prisons he met with 
political prisoners from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah and even Jordan.

Younis expressed serious concern for the life of Sheikh Jamal Abu Al 
Hija from Jenin Refugee Camp. The Israeli military court sentenced 
him to nine times life. Younis reported, "Sheikh Jamal lives in 
complete isolation in solitary in Askelon Prison. He cannot care for 
himself as his hand was amputated after being shot, and the 
administration refuses to allow other prisoners to help him and 
refuses to allow him treatment, despite the deterioration of his 
health and the need for several surgeries." It has been four years 
since the Israeli administration has allowed the Sheikh's family to 
visit him and his solitary confinement sentence has been renewed for 
another year. "This contravenes international laws and conventions," 
the lawyer Shadi Younis said.

Younis met with Mahmoud Issa from Jerusalem in a detention facility 
where he has been in solitary confinement for five years. Another man 
from the northern West Bank's Tubas said that the abuse handed out by 
the Israeli administration has led to abysmal conditions, including 
health-wise, and in the most basic rights, particularly, the Tubas 
man said, in the provision of basic needs.

The lawyer is also calling on the Red Cross to get the political 
prisoners removed from solitary confinement.


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