Tension running high at Jalbu' prison

[ 16/07/2010 - 02:17 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation prison authority has intensified its search operations of various sections of Jalbu' prison at the pretext that they found mobile phones smuggled into the prison. These operations have caused a state of restlessness amongst the prisoners. The prison authority has also penalised prisoners because of finding these mobile phones, making it worse for the prisoners who already live harsh conditions. The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said on Friday that one of its lawyers visited the prison on Thursday that the situation inside the prison is not stable, especially in sections 3 and 5 as the prison administration found one mobile phone in section 3 and seven mobile phones in section 5. Ibrahim Elayan, a prisoner from Jerusalem, said that the prison administration has punished the prisoners in section 3 by barring them from the canteen and from their daily stroll for two weeks and by withdrawing six electric fans leaving the whole sections with only two fans. The punishment for section 5 was the same but for two months. Elayan added that sudden searches which includes searching the prisoners' quarters and strip-searching the prisoners themselves have increased, adding that prisoners' belongings are usually deliberately damaged during such searches. In addition to this, the prisoner said that they are threatened with harsher treatment by the prison officers. The prisoners have responded to these harsh measures by holding more meetings as well as taking some protest steps.