The Palestinian Ministry of Detainees reported that Palestinian detainees imprisoned by Israel are planning several measures in protest to a decision by the Israeli Prison Administration (IPS) obliging them to wear orange uniforms.
The ministry added that the occupation made this decision to humiliate the political detainees and break their will.
It also said that this decision is part of the ongoing Israeli violations against the detainees and their internationally guaranteed rights.
Riyadh Al Ashqar, head of the media department of the Ministry of Detainees, stated that Israel has been trying to enforce the orange uniforms on the detainees since several months.
Al Ashqar added that the IPS will start the enforcing the uniforms in Galboa’ prison starting on Thursday, and informed the detainees in Eshil prison that they will have to wear the uniforms starting next week.
In Ramon prison, soldiers started a series of measures, including breaking into the rooms of the detainees and discarding their clothes while barring their families from sending them clothes, in order to oblige them to wear the orange suits.
Other measures include barring the detainees from their visitation rights, imposing fines, and barring some detainees from entering the prison canteen.
Al Ashqar warned that attempting to oblige the detainees to wear the uniforms would lead to violent clashes with the army, and warned that the army would most likely use extreme force against the detainees.
The detainees decided that they will not accept to wear the uniforms especially since this color brings to mind images of execution, human rights violation and abuse similar to the violations carried out by US troops in Guantanamo prison.
They also said that the suits bring to mind images of Jewish prisoners in concentration camps.
Furthermore, Al Ashqar said that the detainees are not terrorists, and that they are political prisoners, and freedom fighters.
The Ministry voiced an appeal to international human rights groups to support the detainees, and stop the Israeli violations against them.
Prisoner defense center: IOA decided to force detainees to wear orange uniforms |
| [ 22/04/2009 - 05:15 PM ] |
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RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- The Palestinian center for the defense of prisoners on Wednesday strongly denounced the Israeli occupation authority for deciding to impose by force the orange uniform on Palestinian prisoners in Jalbo jail, calling on the prisoners to refuse to wear this uniform and strongly resist such repressive policy. In a statement received by the PIC, the center underlined that the IOA decision to impose by force the orange uniform comes in the framework of the racist policy pursued by Israel against Palestinian prisoners in its jails. The center stressed that the orange uniform is appropriate for criminals and not for prisoners of freedom, urging the prisoners to stage protests against prison administrations and to threaten to take escalating steps if the IOA insisted on its decision. The families of Palestinian prisoners in Jalbo had said Tuesday that their sons in this prison confirmed that the prison administration intends to use force to make them wear the orange uniform as of Thursday. The prisoners told their families that if they refused to comply with this decision, the prison administration would use repressive means such as storming their cells, confiscating their belongings, isolating leading prisoners, and barring prisoners from going to courts and hospitals without this uniform. They stressed their refusal to wear this uniform because of the political and humanitarian dimensions it involves which harm their national identity as prisoners of war and freedom. The prisoners appealed to human rights organizations and the ministry of prisoners to urgently act at the international and regional levels in order to stop the Israeli violations against them. |
