Women's Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP)
Newsletter June 2009
There are, at present, about 65 women political prisoners in the Israeli jails: about 37 in Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond), about 23 in Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain), and the rest in several detention centers.
The way from prison to court
When the authorities take the women political prisoners from prison to court, the prisoners suffer from harsh and humiliating attitudes from “Nahshon” unit guards (“Nahshon” unit - the prison authorities' special unit for guarding the prisoners outside prison(. Women political prisoners who have a session in court are brought to Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle) a day or some days before the session and are held in the wing with criminal prisoners who are hostile towards them. The prisoners are not allowed to take with them any clothes. On session day: at dawn the prisoners are taken to the car and are put in with criminal prisoners without partition, even though the criminal prisoners try to harass them. The car goes from prison to prison to collect prisoners and, sometimes, the prisoners have to stay long hours in the car without proper ventilation. They often have to remain long hours without food or water and no possibility to use the toilet. Sometimes they are held for many hours in cells in the court building. This suffering is still harder for Fathmah elZuq and her baby Yusef who stays with her in prison. For the baby these conditions are unbearable.
Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond)
The women political prisoners from Gaza strip: Fathmah elZuq, Rawda Habib and Wafa elBis have not received any letters since September 2008.
Latifa Abu Dara'a, from Balata Refugee Camp, was arrested on 8 December 2003. The prison authorities defined her as "a prisoner with a high risk of escaping", and every time she had to go out from the wing (lawyer visit, family visit) and during recreation time they handcuffed her hands and legs. She went on a hunger strike demanding not to be handcuffed during recreation time. The prison authorities punished her, transferring her to an isolation cell where she was watched 24 hours a day by a camera. She was prohibited from buying in the canteen and from watching television. After some days, the prison authorities accepted her request and, during recreation time, did no longer handcuff her. In May 2009, she was transferred to Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle).
Sanaa Saleh, 26 years old, from elHader in Bethlehem district, was arrested on 6 August 2008. The prison authorities punished her, transferring her for 22 days to a separation cell where she was watched 24 hours a day by a camera. She was also prohibited from family visits. Her mother, who was not informed about the punishment, came to visit her and the prison authorities prohibited her from visiting. Following Sanaa’s request, she was transferred to Damoon Prison on 20 May 2009.
Rajaa elGhul, a former prisoner, 39 years old, from Jenin Refugee Camp, an administrative detainee, was arrested on 31 March 2009 at dawn in her house. She was brought to Salem Detention Center and held standing outside in the cold for about two hours. Later she was brought to Kishon Detention Center (Jalameh) where she endured harsh interrogations. During the interrogations that lasted long hours, her hands were tied at her back. She went on a hunger strike demanding to be transferred to Hasharon Prison. After three days Rajaa was transferred to Hasharon Prison for some days, then was transferred again to Kishon Detention Center (Jalameh) where she endured more interrogations. After two weeks, she was transferred to Hasharon Prison and placed under administrative detention. Rajaa suffers from heart disease but does not receive proper care in prison. Like other prisoners, she suffered from harsh and humiliating attitudes when she was brought to court. Six days before the session day she was transferred to Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle). The day she was brought to court the guards did not give her any food; when she was back in Neve Tirza Prison, she was held for six hours in a small waiting room.
New prisoners
Jihad Abu Turki, 15.5 years old, from Hebron, was arrested on 25 February 2009.
'Abeer Daghara, 30 years old, from Ramallah district, mother of two, was arrested on 11 March 2009 and brought to Russian Compound Detention Center (Jerusalem) and, after 27 days, was transferred to Hasharon Prison. She suffers from health problems but does not get proper care in prison.
Mimuna Jabareen, 15.5 years old, from Bethlehem district, was arrested on 22 April 2009.
Nahada Taleb, from Kufur 'Ein, Ramallah district.
Released prisoners
Manar Jabareen, from Um elFahem, was arrested on 30 June 2007 and released on 9 June 2009.
Nahala Bader, 25 years old, from Bet Liqya, Ramallah district, was arrested on 8 March 2008 and released on 3 May 2009.
Rima Tabal, 23 years old, from Tulkarem district, was arrested on 20 September 2008 and released on 30 April 20009.
Arselin Ya'aqub, 22 years old, from Tulkarem district, was arrested on 7 October 2008 and released on 26 April 2009.
Nawal elSa'adi, 45 years old, from Jenin Refugee Camp, was arrested on 6 November 2008 and released in May 2009.
Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain)
Iman Ghazawi 'Ashasha, from Tulkarem, was arrested on 20 February 2001; her husband is also a political prisoner in an Israeli jail. She had a meeting with her husband in November 2008. Even though there is a court decision that the prison authorities should enable them to meet every three months, the prison authorities, on many pretexts, have prohibited any meeting since then.
Laila Bukhari, from Nablus, was arrested on 1 July 2002. The prison authorities refused her request to meet her brother who is an administrative detainee.
Sanaa 'Amru, from Dura in Hebron district, was arrested on 6 October 2002. She fell down in the night from the upper bed of the bunk - (there is no railing)- and now suffers from back pains.
Ayat elQaysi, 19 years old, from Balata Refugee Camp, Nablus district, was arrested on 20 March 2008. The parole board refused her request for early release after she had served two thirds of her term.
Sumud 'Abdalla, 17.5 years old, from Bir Zet, Ramallah district, was arrested on 17 April 2008. The parole board refused her request for early release after she had served two thirds of her term.
New prisoner
Rima Abu 'Aysha, 22 years old, from Nablus, was arrested on 14 February 2009 and brought to Petah Tiqva Detention Center where she endured harsh interrogations during long hours, day and night. After six days she was transferred to Hasharon Prison. She requested to be transferred to Damoon Prison, and in May she was transferred.
Released prisoner
'Efaf Batikh, 18 years old, from Jerusalem, was arrested on 5 February 2008 and released on 7 May 2009.
Shirin elShekh Khalil
The Israeli authorities still refuse to allow the released prisoner Shirin elShekh Khalil, to return to Ramallah and have forced her to live in Gaza since her release on 12 April 2009. Shirin, who was born in Gaza, moved to Ramallah when she was a child and was arrested in 2003 when living in Ramallah.
