Ministry of prisoners appreciates Ban Ki-moon's statement

[ 09/03/2011 - 02:45 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The ministry of prisoners affairs has welcomed the statement by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in which he called on Israel to free all Palestinian prisoners. Mohammed Al-Katari, the ministry's undersecretary, said on Wednesday that Ki-moon's statement was a step in the right direction, although it was late. He said that the statement was important since it was voiced by a renowned and symbolic international figure, however it needs follow up and pressures in order to materialize. The world has finally come to realize that there were Palestinian prisoners suffering pain and slow death in Israeli jails and shy voices started to surface every now and then calling for the release of those prisoners, Katari said. The undersecretary charged that the world community's silence toward Israel's crimes against those prisoners had encouraged it to persist in its crimes and violation of international norms and agreements. Katari asked the world community to be neutral and to demand the release of Palestinian prisoners as it is demanding the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.