MADA demands freedom for Palestine journalists

 PNN

29.08.11 - 14:57

The Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) has condemned the continued incarceration of five Palestinian journalists by Israeli authorities.

The five journalists come from across the West Bank and work for a wide variety of Arab media agencies. Their names are: Walid Khalid (‘Palestine’ newspaper), Nawaf Al-Amer (‘Al-Quds’ television), Samer Allawi (‘Al-Jazeera’, a satellite news channel), Osaid Amarneh (‘Al-Aqsa’ television) and Amer Abu Arafeh (‘Shab’ news agency). 

Two of the men, Khalid and Al-Amer, have been sentenced to administrative detention whilst Allawi, who was the head of Al-Jazeera’s Afghanistan Bureau before his arrest on 9th August, has yet to be charged.

In its statement, MADA has called for the immediate release of all the journalists, describing their imprisonment as part of an ‘enduring disregard for international human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territories’. 

‘MADA demands the immediate release of these unlawfully detained journalists and additionally demands the international community in its capacity in formal human rights institutions [sic] and the bodies of the United Nations exercise [sic] real pressure on the Israeli government to expedite their release.’

Lawyer: Female detainee humiliated after surgery

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israeli prison guards humiliated a female detainee from the Gaza Strip who underwent hand surgery, the PA Ministry of Detainees' Affairs reported Saturday.

Prison guards tried to cuff Wafa Samir Al-Lubs, 26, to her hospital bed by her hands and legs, the ministry said in a statement.

Al-Lubs' lawyer protested, and the guards eventually agreed only to cuff her right hand and leg after the surgery.

Her lawyer said the guards verbally insulted her during a three-day stay in hospital and repeatedly refused to allow her to see a doctor post-operation.

The lawyer warned that Al-Luba was at risk of infection if the bandage wasn't changed.

Al-Luba is serving a 12-year sentence in Hasharon prison.

Israel has banned all detainees from the Gaza Strip from receiving visitors since 2007 when militants in Gaza kidnapped an Israeli soldier.

[Prisoners offer assistance to Palestinian students in Lebanon]

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Fatah prisoners at the Ramon prison in Israel said Thursday they were donating their salaries to help benefit Palestinian students in Lebanon, after a suggestion from the president.

Mahmoud Abbas' call for support to Palestinian in Lebanese refugee camps netted about 100,000 shekels, according to a letter from the prisoners circulated by the detainees ministry on Thursday.

Representative of prisoners in the Ramon jail Jamal Al-Rajoub said the program was a successful so far, while detainees minister Issa Qaraqe applauded the prisoners for their "generous spirit."

Addameer expresses its concern about the mistreatment of one of its lawyers by the Israeli Prison Service

Addameer

Ramallah, 25 August 2011

Addameer condemns the mistreatment of its lawyer Anan Odeh by the Israeli Prison Service on 23 August at Ashkelon prison when he was conducting legal work as part of his efforts to defend Palestinian political prisoners. Mr. Odeh was at Ashkelon that day to visit one of the prisoners, and when told to wait for the prisoner to be brought from his cell Mr. Odeh was left locked in a small overheated room without adequate ventilation. The room was approximately 3 by 1.5 meters and with a small window of no more than 30 by 30 cm, with two sections - one for the lawyer and one for the prisoner, separated by a glass divider. After 40 minutes of waiting Mr. Odeh was suffering from shortness of breath and called for some assistance through the window, and on two occasions could see police officers from the prison walking past but was ignored. Feeling panicked and concerned for his deteriorating health, Mr. Odeh banged on the door with one of the chairs in the room and after 5 minutes a female prison warden arrived but had to leave Mr. Odeh waiting even longer as she went to collect the key to open the door. During this time an Israeli police officer arrived in the section on the other side of the glass divider with the prisoner that Mr. Odeh was due to see, but at that point Mr. Odeh had fainted and collapsed in the room and had to lie there until the warden returned with the key 10 minutes later. Mr. Odeh asked for a doctor but instead a nurse was brought and an ambulance was called. The ambulance then took him to Ashkelon hospital. Mr. Odeh was given numerous tests but was only told that he had a problem with his pulse, before he was released from the hospital.

Addameer is dismayed by the poor conditions in the prisons, as they affect both the health and wellbeing of the prisoners and the ability of the lawyers to carry out their vital work to uphold the rule of law and protect the human rights of these prisoners. This is in addition to Israel’s regular denial of family and lawyer visits to Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. Addameer’s lawyers have made numerous complaints concerning these conditions but the Israeli prison authorities have consistently failed to address them. Furthermore, Israeli law states that the Israeli prison service is obliged to ensure that a visiting lawyer is able to see his/her client in prison without delay, provided the prison authorities have been notified of the visit 24 hours in advance. It also states that the prison authorities should provide an adequate space for lawyers to meet with prisoners. It is clear that these basic obligations weren’t met, since despite giving the required notice for the visit Mr. Odeh was made to wait for a prolonged period before seeing the prisoner he was due to meet, during which time his health deteriorated due to the abysmal conditions in the poorly ventilated consultation room.

Mr. Odeh remains in a poor physical state following his collapse at Ashkelon prison and has had to go to hospital to get treatment. Addameer reiterates its call to improve without delay the conditions inside the Israeli prisons, as a means to ensure that basic standards pertaining to the treatment of prisoners is upheld, and that prisoners are able to access legal counsel - a fundamental human right - without restrictions or obstacles imposed by the Israeli authorities.

Addameer re-activates the case of Ayed Dudeen as a Prisoner at Risk following his return to administrative detention

Addameer

Ramallah, 25 August 2011

Ayed Dudeen, a father of six from Hebron who in June was released from over three and a half years in the Israeli prisons without charge or trial, has today had another administrative detention order against him approved. After being re-arrested on 9 August, only two months after his release, Ayed Dudeen was given an administrative detention order by the Israeli Security Agency which was today confirmed at Ofer Military Court. He will remain in detention without charge or trial for 6 months. As with all other administrative detainees, Ayed’s file remains secret, available to the military judge but not to Ayed or his lawyer. This practice violates international human rights law, which permits some limited use of administrative detention in emergency situations, but requires that the authorities follow basic rules for detention, including a fair hearing at which the detainee can challenge the reasons for his or her detention. These minimum rules of due process have been repeatedly violated in Ayed’s case, leaving him without any legitimate means to defend himself. Given Israel’s highly arbitrary use of this form of detention, it is likely that Ayed’s administrative detention order will be renewed at the end of the 6 months.

The continuous abuse of Ayed’s basic human rights at the hands of the Israeli authorities demands urgent attention. For this reason, Addameer is once again highlighting his case as part of its Prisoners at Risk Campaign , to expose the injustice of Israel’s targeted campaign to keep Ayed in prison without charge or trial, in violation of basic fair trial standards.

Take action today on behalf of the Prisoners at Risk by joining our campaign and calling for Ayed’s immediate release.

• Use our template letter to the Israeli authorities to call for Ayed’s immediate and unconditional release;
• Write to your own government and representatives to call on them to pressure Israel to release Ayed (if you are a EU citizen, you can use our template letter;
• Organize a vigil or a demonstration to call for Ayed’s release;
• Write to Ayed in prison (postal address: Ketziot Prison, P.O. Box 13, 841020, Israel);
• Show your support by following Ayed on Facebook

Detainee marks 10 years in Israeli prison

GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – The detainees center is reporting that prisoner Ahmad Abu Aker from Khan Younis marked 10 years in Israeli prisons. Abu Aker has been sentenced to 15 years.

The center said in a statement that he was detained at the Rafah border while he was leaving the Gaza Strip and he was brutally interrogated at Ashkelon prison. He is now at Nafha prison and banned from visits.

Abu Aker received a bachelors degree with honors while in prison. He plans to continue his studies.

Prisoners’ Rights Group UFree Calls on UN to Stop Israeli Mass Arrests

23.08.11 - 13:30


Oslo – PNN – UFree, the Oslo-based European network to support the rights of Palestinian prisoners, has called on the United Nations and all other human rights supporters to speak out against Israel’s campaign of mass arrests now being waged in the West Bank.
Israeli military raids in the West Bank escalated on August 21 while at the same time attacks have stepped up in the Gaza Strip. As of now, more than 150 Palestinians residents of the West Bank have been arrested, mostly in Hebron.
In addition to detaining a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Israeli soldiers raided the house of the Mufti of Bethlehem in the al-Dheisheh refugee camp.
They also wounded three Palestinians and arrested two of them, and then refused to allow the Palestinian Red Crescent to care for their injuries. The raids are the most extensive in eight years, and have swept up children, the elderly, and lawmakers alike.
Mohammed Hamdan, the chairman of UFree, noted in a written statement issued today that Israel’s latest aggression comes just days before the Eid al-Fitr,  a three-day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. 
“This campaign of arrests in the West Bank and bombings in Gaza seems designed to wreak destruction not only on the people, but on our very culture," he said.
UFree promotes and defends the rights of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. More than 6,000 Palestinian prisoners are currently being held in Israeli jails, including about 300 children and more than 30 women living in often inhumane conditions, including torture and lack of medical care.

UFree's website can be found at http://ufree-p.net/eng/

UFree 'confident' of Salah acquittal

UFree, a EU-based charity representing political prisoners, claims it is ‘confident’ that Sheikh Raed Salah will not be deported from the UK.

The comments come as British courts prepare to deport Salah on charges that he entered the UK despite being served a travel ban. Since his arrest on June 28th, he has remained in British custody.

 

However, a statement by UFree, released today, has claimed that Salah ‘has an extremely strong case and a high probability of winning his case… in the next few weeks’. The charity’s chairman, Mohammed Hamdan, is reported to have visited Salah in prison and described his condition as ‘[in] good health and high spirits’.

 

Appeasement?

 

The arrest of Salah has proved controversial in both the UK and abroad. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, was accused of ‘incompetence’ for the failure of the UK Border Agency to prevent Salah’s entry, whilst several British newspapers have lauded his imprisonment, citing accusations of anti-semitism made against him. 

 

Critics have condemned the move, however, describing it as ‘appease[ment] of the pro-Israeli lobby in Britain’, according to UFree itself. Al-Jazeera, the pan-Arab satellite news channel, has claimed that the arrest ‘undermines… Britain’s democratic image’.

Israel to release cancer detainee

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities said they will release a Palestinian detainee suffering from cancer, his family said Monday.

Zakariyya Dawood Issa, from Al-Khader near Bethlehem in the southern West Bank, is in a critical condition after cancer spread throughout his body, medics say.

The Palestinian Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs said they will bring a lawsuit against Israeli authorities for delaying his medical treatment and thus precipitating a deterioration in his condition.

The family was informed that an Israeli discharge committee had agreed Zakariyya's release, Issa's brother told Ma'an on Monday.

Yahya Dawood Issa said the family is preparing to welcome him at home, before taking him to Beit Jala hospital.

"The family is waiting impatiently to see Zakariyya and get assurance about his condition, especially after his recent deterioration which caused the Israeli prison service to refer him to Beersheba prison hospital," Issa's brother said.

Zakariyya has three daughters and one son: Wisal, 20, Malak, 14, Dalal, 13, and Ahmad 19.

Ahmad Al-Beitawi, a researcher for International Solidarity for Human Rights, said the early discharge came after ISHR's lawyer submitted the request to the committee, the fruit of joint efforts between the organization and the prisoners' ministry.

Al-Beitawi said Issa is expected to be released Monday after coordination with the Palestinian ministry of prisoners affairs and a medical team, who will examine him and refer him to hospital.

"Such a decision by Israeli occupation [authorities] is not a favor, but rather a right guaranteed by international law," he said.

"The Israeli prison service also tries to avoid Palestinian prisoners dying in custody, to maintain a good image and to avoid prisoners’ reaction" he added.

Zakariyya Dawood Issa was detained on February 10, 2003 and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment, charged with being an activist for Islamist party, and now-Gaza Strip government leaders, Hamas.

Israeli forces detain 120 Palestinians in West Bank

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces detained 120 Palestinians, mostly Hamas supporters, overnight Saturday in the southern West Bank, witnesses and officials said.

More than 100 military jeeps stormed Hebron from three directions and deployed in several neighborhoods in the largest detention campaign in the city since 2003, locals and Palestinian security officials told Ma'an.

Hamas lawmaker Muhammad Mutliq Abu Juheisha was among more than 120 Palestinians detained across the district as soldiers raided the surrounding towns of Dura, Surif, Beit Ula, Nuba, Yatta and As-Samu.

"Between 100 and 120 people have been arrested," Samira Halaika, a Hamas MP from Hebron told AFP. "In terms of size, there has never been such an arrest operation on this scale in the Hebron area before."

Mushir al-Masri, another Hamas MP who lives in Gaza, said initial information showed at least 80 of the group's members had been arrested in a move which he said demonstrated Israel's "criminal mentality" towards the Palestinians.

"All attempts by the occupation to hit at Hamas are doomed to fail; experience has shown that it only makes Hamas stronger," he said.

Palestinian security sources said troops fanned out across the southern West Bank in an overnight operation which kicked off just hours after Hamas's armed wing in Gaza fired rockets into southern Israel, breaking a truce brokered in April.

The Al-Qassam Brigades said they fired four Grad rockets at the Israeli town of Ofakim near the Gaza Strip, lightly wounding two children, in what was the first such attack claimed by the group in months and came in the context of rising tensions in and around the enclave.

The Israeli operation met with resistance, with youngsters hurling stones at troops in Dura and troops retaliating with rubber bullets, moderately injuring one youngster, medics said.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reported arrests, which came as tensions soared along the Israel-Gaza border, with the air force launching multiple air strikes against militants who hit back with rocket attacks.

The violence was sparked after a bloody series of shooting attacks on Thursday near the Red Sea resort town of Eilat, which killed eight Israelis.

Israel blamed the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees for the attack, although the faction has denied any involvement.

Since then, 14 Gazans have been killed and over 40 injured, with rocket attacks killing one Israeli and injuring dozens.

Bethlehem mother dies without seeing jailed son

RAMALLAH (Ma’an) – The mother of a Palestinian detainee died Wednesday without seeing her son, who is jailed in Israel.

Amjad Taqatqa's son Amjad from the Beit Fajjar village near Bethlehem is serving six life terms in an Israeli detention center.

Samaritan marks 8th year in Israeli prison

Samaritans are seen praying on top of Mount Jerzim near the northern West
Bank city of Nablus during celebrations of the Shavuot festival, in 2010. The
Samaritans claim to be the true children of Israel who left Egypt with Moses and
consider themselves the guardians of the authentic Mosaic tradition.
[AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh, File]

NABLUS (Ma'an) -- A Samaritan detainee from the West Bank marked his eighth year in Israel jail on Wednesday.

Nader Mamdouh, 32, from Nablus, is being treated as a Palestinian and not a Samaritan, his parents told Ma'an.

Samaritans, who number just 700 in two communities in the West Bank and Israel, and derive from an ancient branch of Judaism, have historically received special status from Israeli authorities.

Mamdouh's parents told Ma'an that Nader had been transferred between a number of Israeli jails and was suffering immensely.

He was living in Al-Ain refugee camp in Nablus when he was detained in 2004.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment for affiliation with the Abu Ali Mustapha Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and for taking part in operations against Israeli troops.

The Palestinian detainees center said Mamdouh's parents, who live in the Samaritan community on Jerzim mountain overlooking Nablus, are frequently harassed by Israeli forces.

Detainees ministry: Israel threatens 'mistreatment' in prisons

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Palestinians in Israeli jails have been threatened with worsening prison conditions, beginning at the start of September, the Ministry of Detainees in Ramallah said Wednesday.

The Israeli Prison Administration informed Palestinian representatives in jail that "mistreatment" would begin at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, according to the PA ministry's description of a letter received from the prisoners.

Palestinian detainees minister Issa Qaraqe said Israel's prison authority told the detainees that a new set of procedures would be introduced to "exacerbate their miserable conditions."

The detainees said that they will confront the new procedures with a "strategic step in September," and appealed for support from local and international groups.

In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the prison service to toughen conditions for Palestinian detainees in an effort to pressure Hamas to release captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

The measures were widely condemned by Palestinian officials and prompted hunger strikes by prisoners in protest against the changes.

Israeli forces arrest ex-prisoner from Jenin

JENIN (Ma’an) -- The Israeli army arrested a man on Tuesday night in the village of Kafr Rai, west of Jenin.

Belal Nabil Saed Theyab was arrested as Israeli forces raided his home and searched the property, his family told Ma'an.

Thayab had spent seven years in Israeli jails for being affiliated with militant organization Islamic Jihad.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was unaware of the incident.

URGENT ALERT: AYED DUDEEN, RECENTLY RELEASED FROM NEARLY 4 YEARS IN ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION, IS RE-ARRESTED

 Addameer

Ramallah, 9 August
Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association today received news that Ayed Dudeen, who in June was released after spending nearly 4 years in prison without charge or trial, has been re-arrested. Ayed was the first case in Addameer’s recently launched Prisoners at Risk Campaign, and his re-arrest confirms that the Israeli authorities have no intention of letting him enjoy his newfound freedom after nearly 19 years in and out of prison.

At approximately 2 a.m. on Tuesday 9 August, 50 Israeli soldiers raided Ayed Dudeen’s home in Dura village near Hebron and ordered the entire family out of the house while they searched and ransacked it. The soldiers broke down the door of the family’s pantry in the process, and confiscated one laptop and two phones. Neither Ayed nor his family has been informed of the reasons for his arrest, and at this stage it is not known where Ayed is being held.

As a result of these worrying recent events, Addameer is re-activating the campaign to call for the release of Ayed Dudeen as part of its Prisoners at Risk Campaign. You can learn more about the long periods of time Ayed has spent in prison by reading his profile, and show your support by following his case on Facebook. Addameer will provide further information about his arrest and ways to take action in the coming days.