Strong winds uproot tent housing detainees at Negev prison

[ 13/12/2010 - 11:30 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- Strong winds uprooted and tore up a tent housing detainees at the Negev prison, prisoners there said, adding that other sections of tents in the prison are under threat of similar incidence. Negev adjoined nine tented sections to the prison, most of them threatened to be torn to pieces by low air pressure and lack of necessary capabilities for prisoners to protect themselves, the prisoners told the prisoners study center on Monday. Detainees complained also that their possessions have been covered in sand, and that rips in the tents will allow water to leak on them if it rains. They added that they suffer breathing difficulties and allergies from the airborne dust. Prisoner study center director Raafat Hamdouna warned of serious threats against the prisoners' lives, especially those from Gaza who have been denied the right to family visits for the past four years, as a wave of cold and rain overcasts amid deprivation of basic needs, such as clothes, shoes, and blankets. Hamdouna said the prisoner's family members, especially those deprived of visits, are deeply concerned over their loved ones having proper clothing and blankets to cover their needs as the winter sets in.