Hamas official Nasif on hunger strike, IOA denies him visits

[ 09/11/2010 - 11:29 AM ]

TULKAREM, (PIC)-- The Palestinian prisoner committee said the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) refused to allow its lawyer to visit senior Hamas official Ra'fat Nasif who is going on hunger strike in protest at the arbitrary measures taken against him by the prison administration. The committee added that Nasif decided to go on hunger strike because of maltreatment, his detention in Megiddo prison and depriving him of his right as an administrative detainee. The committee expressed its deep concern for his life because of his insistence on not ceasing his hunger strike and appealed to the Red Cross to visit him immediately and follow up his health condition. For its part, the higher national committee for the support of prisoners warned that any deterioration occurs to the health of prisoner Nasif as a result of the hunger strike could strain the situation in all Israeli jails and prompt other prisoners to escalate their protests in solidarity with him. Nasif, 45, is a member of Hamas's political bureau, and has been in administrative detention since March 2009 without any charges leveled against him.