Women's affairs ministry condemns 'humiliating' HaSharon strip search

[ 12/06/2011 - 08:35 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The Gaza ministry of women's affairs has condemned the humiliating strip search of four women held in Israel's HaSharon prison. The women affairs ministry held the Israeli government responsible for what happens to the women it holds prisoner and called on Palestinian rights groups to publicize Israel's crimes against them internationally. The ministry also called on Palestinian factions to ”look at the crime with anger and consider a mechanism of response”. A force of ten female and five male prison guards alongside security and intelligence officials raided Room 2 of the security prisoners section at HaSharon and carried out an intense search of the women and the room. The women said they were strip searched in a ”humiliating, unethical, and immoral” manner, as the force was looking for a cell phone alleged to have been smuggled into the prison. The cell that was raided was no larger than a square meter and was covered by a thin plastic curtain. The women reportedly nearly panicked as the female prison guards rushed in and the male guards stood by the entrance bracing to enter.