Palestinian prisoners’ in Israeli occupation prisons as of 15 April 2013

 Palestinian Prisoners’ Club Published a comprehensive documentary report on the status of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

:Zamn Press shares the Report as received

Ramallah, Palestine

April 15, 2013

 

Palestinian prisoners’ in Israeli occupation prisons as  of 15 April 2013.

Palestinian prisoners'  nationalism  is intimately associated with the long struggle  of the Palestinians with the Zionist movement and subsequently the State of Israel  that was created on the historical land of Palestine and resulted in displacement of one third  of the Palestinian people on the hands of  Zionist militias and their collaborators racial cleansing followed by the State of Israel  occupation of  the remaining Land of Palestine  in  1967 which  continues to present day.

 

Despite the  many tragedies endured by the Palestinian people, unjust imprisonment was and  still is a major contributor  in the Palestinian revolution and  resistance to the occupation and their allies that conspired against Palestine and its original people- the Palestinians. 

 

The plight of the Palestinian prisoners  can be considered one of the most arduous humanitarian, political and legal cases of  modern times considering its large scale ; More than   800,000 detention and imprisonment  since the time Palestine was occupied in 1948. 

 

The darkest hours for the Palestinians  occurred  during the first uprising in  1987 followed by the 2000 uprising in which thousands of Palestinians were unjustly imprisoned. Imprisonment has major influence on the Palestinian revolution and its aspiration to free the land from its occupiers.  Such a large scale revolutionary component has hit the entire Palestinian society in which many households had at least one of its members either male or female or even child that was  detained or imprisoned.  The Prisoners  represent the Palestinian people and their aspirations  for life and future free of misery and obstruction.  The occupying State of Israel and its governments has sanctioned  all approaches to imprison Palestinians without regard to gender or age  or even the ill and disabled. They are  determined  to break the will power of the Palestinian people and its legendary resistance. 

 

Current classification of prisoners confined in the Israeli prisons. 

 

As of 2013 there were close to 5,000 Palestinian prisoner spread over 27 prison, jail, detention center  and interrogation camps.

 

1.       Veteran Prisoners

Are those prisoners who were imprisoned before the signing of the Oslo accords between Israel and PLO , currently at 106 with their latest prisoner  detained more than 20 years ago and 50 of them  have been detained more than 25 years including Karim Younis, the longest serving prisoner having spent  31 years in Israeli prisons.. Those prisoners are not receiving any leniency considering their age , long years in prison frailty or deteriorating health condition resulting from years of confinement.

 

2.      Female Prisoners

Palestinian Women were always  involved as much as their male counterparts in their resistance to the occupation, becoming  martyrs, injured and prisoners.  Over the years of Palestinian resistance, there has been close to 16,000 women prisoners both adult and child as Israel does not distinguished between child and adult.  During the first uprising "intifada" close to 3,000 females were imprisoned and another 1000 female imprisoned during the second uprising. Currently there are 14 woman prisoner with Lina Jarbouni being the longest serving prisoner , 11 years out of her 20 years sentence. There are documented cases of pregnant female prisoners in which they had to give birth in prison in pathetic sanitary and medical conditions without any family support during their labor.  Newborns did not receive any better treatment than their mothers as they were kept in the same harsh prison conditions  and were denied basic needs by all  humanitarian and moral codes including delayed dispensing of baby formula, milk and food appropriate to their age and developmental status. Families are not allowed to deliver toys, clothing, formula and diapers to the babies and toddlers.

 

3.      Children Prisoners

The detention and imprisonment of children has been used by the Israeli forces before and after the Oslo Accords. During the first uprising hundreds of boys and girls were detained in which they endured bodily abuse and torture in blatant disregard to international accords concerning children. During the second intifada, close to 10,000 child ages 12 to 18 were imprisoned,  some of whom  are still imprisoned, coming of ages while in prison.  Children are humiliated and abused starting  from the moment they are detained which usually occur in the late hours of the night through the their confinement. Many children’s' confessions were obtained under duress or torture and many were sentenced in abstain.  In addition to high and unaffordable fines, children prisoners suffer all sorts of psychological illnesses as a result of the torture and abuse they endure including depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, insomnia and school behavioral problems.  Currently there are 235 child prisoner in Israeli prisons.

 

4.      Administrative Prisoners.

Administrative imprisonment is the prisoner’s worst enemy in which a person is  detained indefinitely without the opportunity for legal consul or court day for what the Israeli call the “secret file” that is compiled by Israeli Intelligence. It can  range anywhere from a month to 6 months,  renewable indefinitely by orders of military commanders using the “Secret File” excuse.  As with other prisoners , there is no separation  between child or adult,  male or female,  healthy ,  ill or disabled. Among the currently held 200 administrative prisoners are 14 Parliamentary members.

            

5.      Martyr Prisoners

These  are the prisoners  who died during their detention either by execution or intentional medical negligence. The latest fatality of medical negligence was that of Maysara Abou Hamdeyeh who died as a result of cancer that was ignored by the Bureau of prisons. Since the establishment of the occupying State of Israeli it have conducted mass executions in cold blood against Palestinian prisoners , many times shortly after detention calming attempted escapes by the detainee other times  by claiming prisoner suicide  in an attempt to conceal their crime and escape legal consequences. Many times, the Israeli military let wounded prisoners  bleed to death refusing to render needed medical assistance.  In many occasions and despite prior knowledge by Israeli of armless  Palestinians, yet, orders are issued to execute them. Total number of martyred prisoners 207

 

6.      Sick prisoners

There is no official number  of the current number  of sick prisoners  confined in Israeli prisons but it is estimated around 700 sick prisoner, 20 of whom are permanently confined in the Ramla Prison Clinic.   The case of sick and injured prisoners  is one of the top pressing issues regarding prisoners in the medical negligence to their  health  conditions. Many sick prisoners  were detained while injured or wounded by Israeli military and at times kidnapping wounded people from ambulances and hospitals.  Many of the ill and wounded prisoners  require urgent surgeries and intense medical management by specialist  as many of them suffer from heart conditions, , lung , kidney and vertebral problems.  Some of prisoners  are paralyzed , amputees or dismembered with intolerable pain that is only addressed by pain killers and sedatives. Bureau of Prisons purposefully  delays the transport of sick prisoners from prisons to hospitals.

 

7.      Solitary confinement prisoners

Some Israeli prisons are filled with Palestinian prisoners in solitary confinement .Confinement  in dark and miniscule cells for extended periods  in total isolation of the other prisoners .  Solitary isolated  prisoners are denied any opportunities to grieve their situation to authorities  as their isolation is determined by prison wardens.  Israeli intelligence, security forces and the minister of internal security. Solitary confined prisoners live in the worst sections of the prison in  conditions stripped out of minimum human rights, exposed to abuse and humiliation on  daily basis.  Some compare solitary confinement to being buried alive. As a result of confined, prisoners are suffering from Psychiatric and psychological conditions caused by their lengthy isolation. Currently there are 5 solitary confined prisoners .

 

8.      Hunger striking prisoners

Hunger strikes started in past 2 years which was sparked by  khader Adnan in an  attempt to have needs addressed creating a new approach of Palestinian resistance. Adnan’s Hunger strike was in response to  his detention administratively and had  brought the issue of Palestinian prisoners and  Israeli atrocities into the international spotlight. Israel remains persistent in its policy of administrative detention and even increases its utilization in a defiant move  against all calls.  In Addition to protest administrative detention, sick prisoners are  resorting to the same approach in an attempt to address their fair and just requests.  The case of Samer Issawi’s hunger strike since august 2012 to protest his second time imprisonment shortly after his release by  agreement between the Palestinian authority and the Israeli government.  He is currently in a grave medical status in Kaplon prison hospital as result of his strike .

 

Excessive use of force

Attacking prisoners and imposing   punishment upon them is becoming a routine  policy of the Israeli Bureau of prisons.  Prisoners are being attacked by  basis tear gas, sound bombs, batons  and even shooting to  suppress any strikes  protesting their inhumane imprisonment , conditions of imprisonment in addition to protesting their unjust imprisonment under the “secret file” basis 

These  attacks  results in prisoners sustaining injuries, cuts   concussions and death in some cases.    Almost all prisons and detention camps had attacked prisoners in their holding cells by special armored forces of Israeli police called “Nahshoun” units.

 

Partition  installations

In addition to the already installed wire partitions, Bureau of prison has  installed an additional Plexiglas partition preventing any physical contact between the prisoners  and their families specially their kids who were previously capable to finger touch and hear their loved ones  and allowing a one at a time conversation through a phone receiver.

 

Strip searches

Prisoners are constantly exposed to strip searches  in a humiliating manner  to break their will power. Family members are also exposed to the same humiliating strip search every time they visit their loved ones.

 

Raids

The Bureau of prisons has increased  their raids to the holding cells where prisoners live  mostly in the late hour of the night  under the false pretense  of security inspection . Such  sleep disruptions are creating  numerous  mental, emotional and psychological meltdowns. Damage to personal properties is often accompanies these raids.

 

Reductions in basic supplies

Since the second intifada, the beware of prisons has reduced the quantity of basic supplies to more than half including clothes, food, toiletries and tobacco.  Prisons created canteens within the prison walls so prisoners can purchase needed supplies at extremely inflated prices and refusing families from bringing any supplies to the prison. In this way, the Israeli are releasing themselves from any economic and financial responsibility toward the prisoners.

 

Hefty fines

 

The Bureau of prisons have been issuing fines for the simplest  infarctions without legal basis, somewhere between 300-800 INS ($80-$200) which causes financial hardships on the prisoners and  will extend their prison time if the fines are not paid.

 

Uninhabitable prisons

 

The living conditions endured by prisoners can easily be described as inhumane, lacking the basic living conditions. Prisons are overcrowded, under furnished forcing prisoners to sleep on  the floor .  They lack janitorial services, rodent and insect infested, lacking proper sewage and drainage facilities,  ccausing numerous  skin diseases among the prisoners. In some prisons, prisoners are only allowed to use the bathroom 3 times a day forcing them to use bottles or containers in their rooms for urination and defecation needs.

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