Ministry of prisoners: IOA still detaining 25 Palestinian MPs

[ 10/10/2009 - 04:57 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The ministry of prisoners in Gaza on Saturday said that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) was still holding 25 MPs and two former ministers in its jails. The ministry said in a press release that the biggest number of deputies were from Al-Khalil (10) followed by Ramallah (6), Jerusalem (4), Bethlehem (3) and a deputy from each of Nablus and Jericho. It noted that 17 were serving various sentences while 6 are held under administrative detention, without trial or charge, and two under custody. The ministry castigated the Palestinian authority and the Arab and western parliaments for not paying enough attention to the issue of those deputies. "There is no real action on the part of all those parties toward resolving this issue and releasing the MPs," it added. The continued incarceration of democratically elected lawmakers reveals the hypocrisy of the international community that claims championing human rights and doctrines, the ministry said.