Gaza – Ma'an – Parents of Gaza detainees were taken on a trip to the beach Monday by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Husam organization for detainees.
The trip was organized to offer parents a change of atmosphere and an opportunity to relax, officials said, while representative of the organizations told parents at the event that the ICRCwill remain dedicated to supporting prisoners and their families.
Gaza residents detained in Israeli prisons have no access to family visits, as parents, children and spouses are barred from leaving the Strip to see their loved ones. Israel often cites security concerns behind the ban.
In April, prisoners' relatives suspended family visits to Israeli jails in protest over conditions and the ban on Gaza detainees from receiving their family.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Israel extends detention of Jerusalem lawmaker
Jerusalem – Ma’an – An Israeli court has extended the detention period of Palestinian lawmaker Mohammad Abu Teir upon the advice of its attorney general, who is considering an arrangement alternative to expulsion.
Defense attorney Fadi Qawasmi said the court's decision came after a request was presented to the Israeli interior minister to review a ruling taken last week that stripped the lawmaker of his residency rights.
"As the defense, it's our duty to examine every document, and we agreed to delay [proceedings] to give the attorney general a chance to come up with a solution for this case," Qawasmi told Ma'an. "At the same time, we won't abandon these lawmakers' rights. We are working to end this case successfully, and we are carrying out contacts in hopes of reaching an amiable solution."
In June, Israel announced it was stripping Abu Teir and three other elected Palestinian Legislative Council members of their residency rights, giving them a deadline to leave the city. The families of Abu Teir, Ahmad Atoun, Mohammad Totah, and Khaled Abu Arafeh - all Hamas-affiliated legislators - said they received calls Sunday from Israeli police demanding information on their whereabouts since morning.
On Friday, Atoun and Abu Arafeh began a sit-in at the Red Cross headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah.
Abu Teir was to return to court Sunday in West Jerusalem to appeal his deportation. His trial was delayed after the court said it did not have sufficient time to hear a defense. In Thursday's session, Abu Teir rejected an agreement to move to the West Bank. A condition of the move was that he paid the court a deposit of 1,000 shekels (approximately $260), which would be confiscated should he return to Jerusalem.
Israeli police detained Abu Teir on Thursday, saying he was illegally residing in the city following the revocation of his residency permit shortly before. The lawmaker was released from custody in late May.
Defense attorney Fadi Qawasmi said the court's decision came after a request was presented to the Israeli interior minister to review a ruling taken last week that stripped the lawmaker of his residency rights.
"As the defense, it's our duty to examine every document, and we agreed to delay [proceedings] to give the attorney general a chance to come up with a solution for this case," Qawasmi told Ma'an. "At the same time, we won't abandon these lawmakers' rights. We are working to end this case successfully, and we are carrying out contacts in hopes of reaching an amiable solution."
In June, Israel announced it was stripping Abu Teir and three other elected Palestinian Legislative Council members of their residency rights, giving them a deadline to leave the city. The families of Abu Teir, Ahmad Atoun, Mohammad Totah, and Khaled Abu Arafeh - all Hamas-affiliated legislators - said they received calls Sunday from Israeli police demanding information on their whereabouts since morning.
On Friday, Atoun and Abu Arafeh began a sit-in at the Red Cross headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah.
Abu Teir was to return to court Sunday in West Jerusalem to appeal his deportation. His trial was delayed after the court said it did not have sufficient time to hear a defense. In Thursday's session, Abu Teir rejected an agreement to move to the West Bank. A condition of the move was that he paid the court a deposit of 1,000 shekels (approximately $260), which would be confiscated should he return to Jerusalem.
Israeli police detained Abu Teir on Thursday, saying he was illegally residing in the city following the revocation of his residency permit shortly before. The lawmaker was released from custody in late May.
Abu Teir to face trial Sunday
Abu Teir’s lawyer said trial was delayed on Thursday as the court did not have sufficient time to hear his defense.
In Thursday's session, Abu Teir rejected a settlement to move to the West Bank. A condition of the move was that he paid the court a deposit of 1,000 shekels (approximately 260 US dollars) which would be confiscated should he return to Jerusalem.
The session did not exceed two minutes.
Israeli police detained Abu Teir near his East Jerusalem home on Thursday, saying he was illegally residing in the city following the revocation of his residency permit shortly before.
The lawmaker is one of four elected Palestinian Legislative Council officials to be issued with the order. The men were targeted because of their membership in the Hamas political party, which Israel considers a terrorist organization.
Palestinian officials and supporters continued a sit-in protest in solidarity with the lawmakers, which began Thursday, outside Red Cross headquarters in East Jerusalem.
The officials received a delegation from the UN Sunday, and briefed them on the latest developments. On Saturday, European diplomats, including the Swiss ambassador, were received by the officials.
UN special coordinator Robert Serry is "closely following" the case, his spokesman said Thursday.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Addameer Stands in Solidarity with Palestinian Victims of Torture
United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2010
Ramallah, 24 June 2010
As the United Nations and the world commemorates the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June 2010, Addameer stands in solidarity with Palestinians prisoners who have suffered the devastating effects of torture and ill treatment, and unequivocally condemns all forms of such treatment in Israeli and Palestinian prisons, interrogation facilities and detention centers.
The right to be free from torture is a fundamental and non-derogable right, guaranteed to all human beings, regardless of detention status. As a state-party to the most essential conventions and treaties protecting this right, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and especially, the United Nations Convention Against Torture,(1) Israel is under unquestionable international legal obligation to ensure that all prisoners are free from torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.(2)
Moreover, a series of 1999 holdings by the Israeli High Court placed some restrictions on the harsh and tortuous interrogation tactics prevalent throughout the detention system, stating that physical means of interrogation that are not “reasonable and fair” and that cause the detainee to suffer are illegal.(3)
Nevertheless, despite the international and domestic legal restrictions on prison and detention authorities, Addameer continues to document an alarming number of cases of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, from their arrest to their interrogation and throughout their detention. Since the United Nations commemorated its last Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June 2009, Addameer has documented an astonishing number of egregious violations, particularly against women, children and administrative detainees. Numerous other human rights organizations, including the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel(4) and Defense of Children International – Palestine Section,(5) have also documented an alarming number of cases of torture and ill-treatment in recent months.
Although the use of torture and ill-treatment is routine among Palestinians arrested by Israel, a few recent cases include:
Additionally, Addameer condemns the increased prevalence of torture in Palestinian Authority prisons and detention centers, particularly against political prisoners, as well as the recent executions by Palestinian authorities in the Gaza Strip and urges all Palestinian authorities to denounce these devastating practices and to employ their own standards aligned with international law.
In summary, to commemorate this June 26 and to truly stand in solidarity with all Palestinian victims of torture, Addameer urges In Kofi Annan’s words, “take action to defeat torture and torturers everywhere.”(10)
Addameer therefore strongly urges the international community, particularly including the United Nations and relevant bodies and agencies, as well as all UN Member States to take note of these appalling practices and:
Ramallah, 24 June 2010
As the United Nations and the world commemorates the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June 2010, Addameer stands in solidarity with Palestinians prisoners who have suffered the devastating effects of torture and ill treatment, and unequivocally condemns all forms of such treatment in Israeli and Palestinian prisons, interrogation facilities and detention centers.
The right to be free from torture is a fundamental and non-derogable right, guaranteed to all human beings, regardless of detention status. As a state-party to the most essential conventions and treaties protecting this right, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and especially, the United Nations Convention Against Torture,(1) Israel is under unquestionable international legal obligation to ensure that all prisoners are free from torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.(2)
Moreover, a series of 1999 holdings by the Israeli High Court placed some restrictions on the harsh and tortuous interrogation tactics prevalent throughout the detention system, stating that physical means of interrogation that are not “reasonable and fair” and that cause the detainee to suffer are illegal.(3)
Nevertheless, despite the international and domestic legal restrictions on prison and detention authorities, Addameer continues to document an alarming number of cases of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, from their arrest to their interrogation and throughout their detention. Since the United Nations commemorated its last Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June 2009, Addameer has documented an astonishing number of egregious violations, particularly against women, children and administrative detainees. Numerous other human rights organizations, including the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel(4) and Defense of Children International – Palestine Section,(5) have also documented an alarming number of cases of torture and ill-treatment in recent months.
Although the use of torture and ill-treatment is routine among Palestinians arrested by Israel, a few recent cases include:
- Loai Sati Mohammad Ashqar, 33, an administrative detainee forced to suffer days on end in the stress position known as the “banana” position, in which the detainee is shackled while bent backwards over a chair. Three of Loai’s vertebrates were broken due to this torture, and due to further negligence by prison officials, his condition led to complete paralysis of his left leg. Loai must spend the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair.(6)
- Nelli Zahi As’ad Sa’id As-Safadi, 33, a female administrative detainee, was also forced to endure painful stress positions, as well as sleep deprivation and threats of further physical and psychological abuse. Israeli interrogators routinely used Nelli’s family members as a means of psychological torture, going so far as to arrest her mother-in-law, 67, and her young nephew.(7)
- Moatasem Raed Younis Muzher, 17, also an administrative detainee, was subjected to psychological ill-treatment with constant threats of being sent to Moskobiyyeh, an interrogation center in Jerusalem notorious for its torture of Palestinians.(8)
- Hassan Yousef Hassan Dabak, 29, (see Hassans case) in addition to being subjected to harsh interrogation tactics for weeks on end, was deliberately thrown down the stairs by his interrogators while he was blindfolded and his hands and feet were shackled. Unable to catch himself or brace his fall, Hassan landed with the brunt of the force of the fall on his left side and cracked his pelvis.(9)
Additionally, Addameer condemns the increased prevalence of torture in Palestinian Authority prisons and detention centers, particularly against political prisoners, as well as the recent executions by Palestinian authorities in the Gaza Strip and urges all Palestinian authorities to denounce these devastating practices and to employ their own standards aligned with international law.
In summary, to commemorate this June 26 and to truly stand in solidarity with all Palestinian victims of torture, Addameer urges In Kofi Annan’s words, “take action to defeat torture and torturers everywhere.”(10)
Addameer therefore strongly urges the international community, particularly including the United Nations and relevant bodies and agencies, as well as all UN Member States to take note of these appalling practices and:
- Immediately intervene with Israeli and Palestinian authorities and pressure both to adhere to their international legal obligations.
- Support the creation of independent monitoring and investigation of all cases of torture and ill-treatment by Israeli and Palestinian authorities; and
- Follow individual cases of torture and ill-treatment against Palestinian prisoners and detainees and raise these cases with the relevant authorities.
- Immediately halt all use of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as is unequivocally required by international law;
- Promptly and effectively investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment, and ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted and, if applicable, appropriate penalties are imposed; and,
- Incorporate torture as defined in article 1 of the Convention Against Torture as a crime under both Israeli and Palestinian domestic legislation.
- Writing letters to prisoners in detention. While we request that you send the personal letters directly to the prison facilities, please copy Addameer at info@addameer.ps so that we can keep track of the letters of support. You may also contact Addameer directly to organize an educational event and/or presentation on Palestinian prisoners.
- Contact the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to demand an immediate cessation of all prohibited methods of treatment, and accountability for all cases of torture and ill-treatment.
- Contact your own elected officials and urge them to intervene with Israel and the Palestinian authorities on this important subject.
—-
1 The United Nations selected 26 June as its International Day in Support of Victims of Torture to mark the day that the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ratified by the necessary number of states and came into effect – 26 June 1987.
2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights art. 5 (1948); International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights art. 7 (1976); Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987).
3 HCJ 5100/94 Pub. Comm. Against Torture in Isr. v. Israel [1999] IsrSC 53(4) 817.
4 See generally, website of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (available at: http://www.stoptorture.org.il/en).
5 See Defense of Children International – Palestine Section, DCI-Palestine submits 50 cases of ill-treatment to the UN Committee Against Torture, 7 June 2010 (available at: http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?DocId=1510&CategoryId=1).
6 Loai Sati Mohammad Ashqar profile, http://addameer.info/?p=1630 (last visited 23 June 2010).
7 Nelli Zahi As’as Sa’id As-Safadi profile, http://addameer.info/?p=1606 (last visited 23 June 2010).
8 Moatasem Raed Younis Muzher profile, http://addameer.info/?p=1668 (last visited 23 June 2010).
9 Hassan Yusef Hassan Dabak profile, http://addameer.info/?p=1748 (last visited 24 June 2010).
10 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, http://www.un.org/events/torture/bkg.htm (last visited 23 June 2010).
1 The United Nations selected 26 June as its International Day in Support of Victims of Torture to mark the day that the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ratified by the necessary number of states and came into effect – 26 June 1987.
2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights art. 5 (1948); International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights art. 7 (1976); Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987).
3 HCJ 5100/94 Pub. Comm. Against Torture in Isr. v. Israel [1999] IsrSC 53(4) 817.
4 See generally, website of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (available at: http://www.stoptorture.org.il/en).
5 See Defense of Children International – Palestine Section, DCI-Palestine submits 50 cases of ill-treatment to the UN Committee Against Torture, 7 June 2010 (available at: http://www.dci-pal.org/english/display.cfm?DocId=1510&CategoryId=1).
6 Loai Sati Mohammad Ashqar profile, http://addameer.info/?p=1630 (last visited 23 June 2010).
7 Nelli Zahi As’as Sa’id As-Safadi profile, http://addameer.info/?p=1606 (last visited 23 June 2010).
8 Moatasem Raed Younis Muzher profile, http://addameer.info/?p=1668 (last visited 23 June 2010).
9 Hassan Yusef Hassan Dabak profile, http://addameer.info/?p=1748 (last visited 24 June 2010).
10 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, http://www.un.org/events/torture/bkg.htm (last visited 23 June 2010).
Thursday, June 24, 2010
PCHR weekly report 17/6 - 23/6/2010
PCHR weekly report 17/6 - 23/6/2010
At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than two and a half years.
In recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Thursday, 17 June 2010
At approximately 01:30, Israeli forces moved into Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Mazen Hassn al-Danbak, 34. It should be noted that al-Danbak had been released from Israeli jails on 18 May 2010.
At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into 'Obwin village, northwest of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of 'Abdul Qader Hamed Mzahem, 21, and arrested him.
Friday, 18 June 2010
At approximately 04:00, Israeli forces moved into Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Hamed 'Omar Hamed, 17, and arrested him.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested six Palestinian civilians, including three children:
· At approximately 02:00, Israeli forces moved into Zabbouba village, northwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and delivered summons to 7 Palestinian civilians.
At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than two and a half years.
In recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
- Israeli forces arrested 43 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children.
- 28 of these civilians were arrested in Deir Samer village near Hebron.Thursday, 17 June 2010
At approximately 01:30, Israeli forces moved into Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Mazen Hassn al-Danbak, 34. It should be noted that al-Danbak had been released from Israeli jails on 18 May 2010.
At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into 'Obwin village, northwest of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of 'Abdul Qader Hamed Mzahem, 21, and arrested him.
Friday, 18 June 2010
At approximately 04:00, Israeli forces moved into Silwad village, northeast of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mohammed Hamed 'Omar Hamed, 17, and arrested him.
Sunday, 20 June 2010
At approximately 03:00, Israeli forces moved into Nablus. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested six Palestinian civilians, including three children:
1. Tariq Fat'hi Abu Ghoush, 17;
2. Nidal Ahmed al-Zagha, 18;
3. Ra'ed Sami Hamdan, 18;
4. ;Imad Mousa Marahil, 19;
5. Ziad Mohammed al-Basha, 17; and
6. 'Imad al-Din Ahmed Halawa, 16.
According to families of the detainees, Israeli troops violently beat their sons before their eyes. They also harassed the families during this operation.
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
· At approximately 00:30, Israeli forces moved into Deir Samet village, southwest of Hebron. They attacked a number of houses and detonated sound bombs near them, especially those belonging to the extended family of 'Ali Hassan al-'Adam. According to al-'Adam and his son, 21-year-old Hamza, at approximately 03:30, Israeli forces moved into Ghannam quarter in the east of the village. They attacked al-'Adams' two-storey house, blowing up the door of the first floor and firing at the house and the roof while some members of the family were sleeping there. Soon after, Israeli troops broke into the house and violently beat three of al-'Adam's sons: Mousa, 30; Bahaa' al-Din, 25; and Hamza, 21. They also arrested the first two sons and damaged the house. Additionally, Israeli forces raided and searched a number of houses in the village and arrested 25 Palestinian civilians:
1. Eyad Mahmoud al-Hroub;
2. Mousa 'Ali al-'Adam;
3. Mohammed Mahmoud al-Hroub;
4. Khalil Mohammed al-Hroub;
5. 'Ali Younis al-Hroub;
6. Mohammed Jasser al-Hroub;
7. Amjad Jasser al-Hroub;
8. Bahaa' 'Ali al-Hroub;
9. Mousa 'Ali al-Hroub;
10. Saber Mohammed al-Hroub;
11. Ahmed Mohammed al-Hroub;
12. Tawfiq 'Abdul Fattah al-Hroub;
13. 'Eissa Ahmed al-Hroub;
14. Mahmoud Hussein al-Hroub;
15. Isma'il Hussein al-Hroub;
16. Mohammed Isma'il al-Hroub;
17. Mahmoud Isma'il al-Hroub;
18. 'Abdullah Isma'il al-Hroub;
19. Ra'ed 'Eissa al-Hroub;
20. Hani 'Eissa al-Hroub;
21. Mohammed 'Eissa al-Hroub;
22. Jihad 'Eissa al-Hroub;
23. Bilal 'Eissa al-Hroub;
24. Shihda Mohammed al-Masalma; and
25. Mohammed Mohammed Masalma.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
PCHR weekly report 10/6 - 16/6/2010
extracts from PCHR weekly report 10/6 - 16/6/2010
At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than two and a half years.
In recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
IOF arrested 29 Palestinian civilians, including 8 children.
IOF summoned a 7-year-old child for interrogation.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
· At approximately 00:00, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested two Palestinian children:
1. 'Eissa Kamel Bahar, 16; and
2. Sameer 'Aamer Abu Maria, 15.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF raided and searched a house belonging to Ahmed Khalil Abu Hashem, 43, Secretary of the Public Committee against Settlement and the Wall in Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. According to Abu Hashem, at approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Khillat al-Barahish area in the south of Beit Ummar village. At approximately 02:15, they threw stones at the windows and doors of Abu Hashem's house. They also detonated sound bombs in the vicinity of the house and called on Abu Hashem through megaphones to move to his roof with his hand up. When he and his wife got up the roof, they forced him to uncover the upper part of his body and to return to the house and awaken the 11 other residents of the house. IOF forced the residents out of the house and questioned them until 04:45. According to Abu Hashem, this house raid was the tenth of its kind in the past 2 months. Before raiding Abu Hashem's house, IOF had raided 4 houses, including 2 belonging to his brothers. During these house raids, IOF violently beat Abu Hashem's nephew, 16-year-old Sakher.
· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into 'Aanin village, west of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Ahmed Fat'hi Mansour, 19.
· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Dura village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians:
· At approximately 06:30, IOF moved into al-Mazra'a village, northwest of Ramallah. They patrolled in the streets and arrested Yousef Mohammed Shraiteh, 15, but released him in the afternoon.
Monday, 14 June 2010
· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian children:
1. 'Anan Mohammed Bahar, 16;
2. Mo'ayad Jawad Bahar, 17; and
3. Mohammed 'Ali Abu Maria, 17.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
· At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Qarawat Bani Hassan village, northwest of Salfit. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Hamza Mahmoud Rayan, 26.
· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Isma'il Khader Masalma, 17, and arrested him.
· Also at approximately 01:00, IOF moved into al-Duhaisha refugee camp, south of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to Fa'eq Mahmoud Hajajla, 52, and summoned him for interrogation.
Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into 'Anabta village, east of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:
1. Safwan Nazeeh Melhem, 22; and
2. Ahmed Fat'hallah Jadallah, 22.
At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Shwaika suburb, north of Tulkarm. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 'Aadel Mohammed Qaddouha, 20.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 'Alaa' Mahmoud Slaibi, 20, and Mohammed Sameer Abu Maria, 22. They also summoned 7-year-old Mohsen Yousef 'Awadh for interrogation. According to local sources, at least 90 Palestinian civilians have been arrested by IOF in the village since the beginning of this year. In the Hebron district, IOF have arrested 470 Palestinian civilians, including 90 children and 4 women, since the beginning of this year.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Wd al-Hariya neighborhood in Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested Fahed Majed Abu Sbaih, 23.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
PCHR weekly report 3/6 - 9/6/2010: 22 arrested including 4 children, 3 Israelis
extracts from PCHR weekly report 3/6 - 9/6/2010
At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than 2 and a half years.
In recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Following the Friday Prayer on 04 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in protest against the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil'ein village, west of Ramallah. [...]
'Arraf and Shalif were released later, while Abu Rahma remained in custody.
· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 'Imad 'Aziz al-Ashqar, 25.
· At approximately 02:00, IOF moved into Kharsa village, southwest of Hebron. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Saleem Yousef al-Rajoub, who is detained in Israeli jails. No arrests were reported.
At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Ya'bad village, southwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses, and also stopped and checked Palestinian civilians following the Dawn Prayer and arrested Shareef 'Amarna, 26.
On Wednesday morning, 09 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem. IOF attacked the demonstration and arrested Dr. Mazen Qamsiya, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement Between People, and 2 Israeli human rights defenders: Shai Ghalatzi; and Yutam Wolf.
At least 800 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza in Israeli jails have been deprived of family visitation for more than 2 and a half years.
In recognition of ICRC as the guardian of the Fourth Geneva Convention, PCHR calls upon the ICRC to increase its staff and activities in the OPT, including the facilitation of family visitations to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
- IOF arrested 22 civilians, including 4 children.
- Among the detainees were 6 human rights defenders, including 3 Israeli ones. Following the Friday Prayer on 04 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in protest against the construction of the Annexation Wall in Bil'ein village, west of Ramallah. [...]
IOF also arrested 3 demonstrators:
1. Howaida 'Arraf;
2. Eilan Shalif, 72; and
3. Ashraf Abu Rahma, 29.
Sunday, 06 June 2010
· At approximately 03:30, IOF moved into Beit Reema village, northwest of Ramallah. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Alichandro Tariq al-Barghouthi, 16, and arrested him. They also raided and searched a house belonging to the family of 'Abdul Qader 'Abed al-Barghouthi, 16, and arrested him.
Monday, 07 June 2010
· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians, including a child:
1. Tamer Isma'il 'Awadh, 23;
2. Saif Rabeeh Bahar, 26; and
3. Wassim Jamal Wahadin, 15.
· Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into al-'Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 3 Palestinian civilians:
1. 'Ali Jamal al-Badawi, 18;
2. Nour Ahmed al-Badawi, 19; and
3. Ahmed Haitham al-Badawi, 18. · At approximately 01:00, IOF moved into Beit Ummar village, north of Hebron. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 2 Palestinian civilians:
1. 'Odai Nidal Bahar, 17; and
2. Mahmoud Sa'id Bahar, 20.
· Also at approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Za'tara village, east of Bethlehem. They raided and searched a house belonging to the family of Mahmoud Hassan Zawahra, and summoned him for interrogation.
At approximately 03:00, IOF moved into Ya'bad village, southwest of Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses, and also stopped and checked Palestinian civilians following the Dawn Prayer and arrested Shareef 'Amarna, 26.
Wednesday, 09 June 2010
· At approximately 01:30, IOF moved into Jenin. They raided and searched a number of houses and arrested 4 Palestinian civilians:
1. Mohammed Hisham al-Sa'di, 26;
2. Tariq Khalil 'Ejjawi, 22;
3. Mohammed Hisham Abu Tabeekh, 26; and
4. Islam Ameen Staiti, 24. On Wednesday morning, 09 June 2010, dozens of Palestinian civilians and international and Israeli human rights defenders organized a peaceful demonstration in protest to the construction of the Annexation Wall in al-Walaja village, northwest of Bethlehem. IOF attacked the demonstration and arrested Dr. Mazen Qamsiya, Director of the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement Between People, and 2 Israeli human rights defenders: Shai Ghalatzi; and Yutam Wolf.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Extensive Report on Palestinian Detainees In Israeli Prisons
Wednesday June 09, 2010 12:03 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies
The head of the Palestinian Ministry Of Detainees' Census Department , Abdul-Nasser Farawna, who is himself a former detainee, stated that Israel has arrested around 700,000 Palestinians since June 1967. That figure includes tens of thousands of children and over 10,000 women.
Farawna also stated that 198 Palestinians died due to torture, medical negligence, while some of them were shot and killed by their arresting officers. Hundreds of detainees died after they were released due to health issues related to their arrest and torture.
The researcher added that the army does not target a specific segment of the society as the illegal arrests target women, children, elderly, students, lawyers, doctors and workers, and that most of the kidnapped Palestinians were tortured.
Approximately 420,000 Palestinians were kidnapped by the army in the period between 1967 and the beginning of the first Intifada in 1987.
The army also conducted 210,000 arrests during the years of the first Intifada, between December 1987 and 1994.
The arrests rate dropped after the Oslo peace agreement of 1994 until September 2000, as Israel conducted 1,700 arrests each year.
But after the second Intifada started in late September 2000 until this day, the army carried more than 70,000 arrests with a rate of 7,000 arrests each year.
Farawna said that there are several factors that affect the increase or decrease in the numbers of arrests as the security situation, and the direct presence of the army in the Palestinian territories affects the number of arrests.
The Palestinian researcher further stated that 198 Palestinians died in Israeli prison, detention and interrogation centers. Most of the detainees died due to torture and lack of medical attention.
73 detainees (36.9%) died in the period between 1967 until December 8, 1987. 42 (21.2%) detainees died in Israeli prisons during the first Intifada in the period between December 8 and mid 1994.
Eight detainees died in Israeli prisons in the period between 1994 until the second Intifada that started in September 2000.
75 detainees (37.9%) died during the al-Aqsa Intifada. 50 of them died having not received adequate medical attention in Israeli prisons, and 7 died due to excessive use of force against them in prisons; this includes the army’s use of lethal fire against them in prison.
These figures do not include hundreds of detainees who died after they were released as they became sick in prison.
Farawna further stated that arrests are still ongoing, and the conditions in Israeli prisons are becoming worse than before, while the number of sick detainees is increasing, including dozens who have serious diseases and health conditions.
Furthermore, Farawna said that the violations against the detainees are escalating, and voiced an appeal to human rights groups to intervene in order to put an end to the ongoing violations carried out by Israel against the detainees and their internationally guaranteed rights.
The researcher added that the army does not target a specific segment of the society as the illegal arrests target women, children, elderly, students, lawyers, doctors and workers, and that most of the kidnapped Palestinians were tortured.
Approximately 420,000 Palestinians were kidnapped by the army in the period between 1967 and the beginning of the first Intifada in 1987.
The army also conducted 210,000 arrests during the years of the first Intifada, between December 1987 and 1994.
The arrests rate dropped after the Oslo peace agreement of 1994 until September 2000, as Israel conducted 1,700 arrests each year.
But after the second Intifada started in late September 2000 until this day, the army carried more than 70,000 arrests with a rate of 7,000 arrests each year.
Farawna said that there are several factors that affect the increase or decrease in the numbers of arrests as the security situation, and the direct presence of the army in the Palestinian territories affects the number of arrests.
The Palestinian researcher further stated that 198 Palestinians died in Israeli prison, detention and interrogation centers. Most of the detainees died due to torture and lack of medical attention.
73 detainees (36.9%) died in the period between 1967 until December 8, 1987. 42 (21.2%) detainees died in Israeli prisons during the first Intifada in the period between December 8 and mid 1994.
Eight detainees died in Israeli prisons in the period between 1994 until the second Intifada that started in September 2000.
75 detainees (37.9%) died during the al-Aqsa Intifada. 50 of them died having not received adequate medical attention in Israeli prisons, and 7 died due to excessive use of force against them in prisons; this includes the army’s use of lethal fire against them in prison.
These figures do not include hundreds of detainees who died after they were released as they became sick in prison.
Farawna further stated that arrests are still ongoing, and the conditions in Israeli prisons are becoming worse than before, while the number of sick detainees is increasing, including dozens who have serious diseases and health conditions.
Furthermore, Farawna said that the violations against the detainees are escalating, and voiced an appeal to human rights groups to intervene in order to put an end to the ongoing violations carried out by Israel against the detainees and their internationally guaranteed rights.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Palestinian children tortured in Israeli occupation jails
| [ 21/05/2010 - 11:47 AM ] |
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| RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Hiba Masalha, a Palestinian lawyer who visited child-prisoners at the Majedo and Rimonim prisons said that a number of them were subjected to barbaric torture before being questioned or charged. Masalha said on Thursday that she met with 17-year-old Ahmad Farouq Jaara from Nablus who was arrested on 14 January 2010 at the Za'tara roadblock. He told her that he was subjected to a harsh interrogation at Betah Tekva detention centre where he was tied to a stool with both hands and feet tied. He was interrogated and tortured for 21 days causing his health to deteriorate. She also met with 16-year-old Salama Abdel-Jawad from the Askar refugee camp who was arrested at the Hamra roadblock on 14 February 2010. He told her that on his arrest the soldiers kicked and beat him mercilessly using rifle butts bruising him all over and causing him to bleed from the face and legs. She also said that Mahmoud Yaziji, 16 years, from Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, told her that he was arrested at the Erez crossing by special forces who beat him severely, causing bruises all over his body. He was detained for one whole night at the crossing before he was taken to Askalan prison. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Atef Jaradat, from Sair, in al-Khalil told the lawyer that IOF troops arrested him on 2 February 2010 him to the Keryat Arba settlement where he spent one night. He was then taken to Atsion detention centre where he was interrogated while tied to a stool in the cold and under the rain, during the interrogation an interrogator going by the name of Imran, beat him on his face, his arms and legs, then gave him electric shock making him fall each time he was subjected to the electric shock. He is also being denied family visits since his arrest. Masalha also met with Muhammad Rashid Abu Shahin (16 years), from the Balata refugee camp, who told her that he was arrested on 3 January 2010 on the Hamra roadblock where he was manhandled and beaten by the occupation soldiers using rifle butts. He was then taken to the Hawwara detention centre where the interrogater used a plastic pipe to beat him with so that he confesses. The child is suffering chronic back pain as a result of being hit on the spine. He has not been provided with any medical attention apart from being given pain killers. Zakerya Waddah Awada, 16 years, from Nablus told her that he was arrested on 2 March 2010 and that IOF troops beat him up inside the military jeep. At the Hawwara detention centre soldiers took him out of his cell during the night to the yard where he was forced to strip naked and stand in the cold for the rest of the night. He was denied visits since his arrest. |
Farwana: 13 Palestinian lawmakers remain in Israeli jails
| [ 20/05/2010 - 10:01 PM ] |
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| RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- Abdul Naser Farwana, a Palestinian researcher in prisoners' affairs, said on Friday that there are 13 Palestinian lawmakers still incarcerated in Israeli jails without any justified legal reason. Farwana's remarks came after the Israeli occupation released MP Mohammed Abu Tair of Hamas Movement after 43 months in detention, adding that ten out of the thirteen are affiliated with Hamas, two with Fatah and one with the PFLP. He named the ten Hamas lawmakers as Abdul Jaber Foqaha, 43, Hassan Yousef, 56, Nezar Ramadan, 50, Mohammed Al-Natshe, 52, Nayef Al-Rejoub, 52, Basim Za'areer, 48, Azzam Salhab, 45, Ali Romanin, 50, Ayman Daraghma, 47, and Palestinian Jerusalemite lawmaker Mohammed Tutah, 42. The two Fatah MPs were Marwan Barghouthi, 51, and Jamal Tairawi, 44; while the PFLP lawmaker was its secretary-general Ahmad Sa'adat, Farwana said. He added that during the PA legislative elections in 2006 that Hamas had won, the issue of the prisoners was strongly present as 31 prisoners were nominated by their respective factions to contest the parliamentary elections, at least 15 of them won the elections indicating the high attention the Palestinian people pay to the prisoners' issue. In June 2007, the Israeli occupation authorities launched an unprecedented arrest campaign against Hamas's lawmakers and ministers after its soldier Gilad Shalit was captured by Palestinian resistance fighters. Many of the arrested lawmakers were placed under administrative detention while others were sentenced to different jail terms, Farwana pointed out, stressing that the arrest and prosecution of the lawmakers as flagrant violation of international laws and politically motivated. In this concern, Farwana urged Arab and international parliaments to pressure the Israeli occupation to release all the 13 lawmakers that remain in its jails. |
IOA decided to exile MP Abu Tair from Jerusalem
| [ 21/05/2010 - 09:59 PM ] |
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OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority has decided Thursday to exile Palestinian Jerusalemite lawmaker MP Mohammed Abu Tair from the occupied city forever, just hours after they released him from jail where he was arbitrarily detained for 43 months. The decision of exiling Abu Tair was handed over to him after he was summoned by the IOA authorities in the occupied Palestinian city and gave him one month to back up his things and move out of the city where he was born. PIC correspondent in the city said that the IOA told Abu Tair that he should select either the West Bank or Gaza Strip to live, and decided to deny him all his legal rights alleging he possesses no residence permit in the city. Abu Tair, for his part, rejected the decision and described it as part of the Israeli policy of extortion and repressive measures against Palestinian Jerusalemites, underlining that his family's roots in the city stretched to more than 500 years, and that no law in this world could deny him or his family the right to dwell in the city. "You, specifically, has no place in Jerusalem, and we will kick you out of it", Abu Tair quoted the chief of the Israeli occupation police in the city as saying to him after he handed him the order. Relatives of Abu Tair said he survived an attack by Jewish settlers while on his way to the police station that summoned him. Earlier, the IOA rendered similar decision against former Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs Khalid Abu Arafa who was also jailed with Abu Tair for nearly four years. However, lawmakers from the change and reform bloc in the Palestinian legislature described the decision as "arbitrary and void" that aims at emptying the occupied city from its real owners. The lawmakers underscored that the Israeli schemes would fail in the face of the exemplary steadfastness and resoluteness of the Palestinian people. They also deprecated the indifferent stand of the Ramallah-based PA regarding the Israeli decision, urging all concerned human rights and legal institutions to block the decision and to pressure the Israeli occupation into respecting Palestinian legitimate rights. |
IOF troops arrest a whole family in southern Jenin
| [ 21/05/2010 - 01:32 PM ] |
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| JENIN, (PIC)-- More than 10 military vehicles raided, at dawn Friday, the village of Kafr Rai to the south of the northern West Bank city of Jenin and arrested a whole family after ransacking their home. Eyewitnesses said that the IOF troops commandeered homes overlooking the house of Majed Saleh Dallah (55 years) and took positions on the rooftops of those houses then they surrounded and raided his house. The occupation troops ransacked Dallah's house and used police dogs during their search of the house. The occupation troops arrested Dallah and four of his children aged 17 to 35 and left summonses for the other three ordering them to surrender themselves to the occupation security services at Salem military post. |
IOF Deports two Brothers from Beer Sheva in Israel to the Gaza Strip
21-5-2010
On Friday morning 21 May 2010, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) deported Hamid and Emad Attallah Abu Dwaba (21 and 19 respectively) from Beer Sheva in Israel to the Gaza Strip. According to Al Mezan's field investigations, the two brothers live in the As-Sania Trabien area in Beer Sheva. The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) detained them on Friday 21 May 2010 and they were deported to the Gaza Strip at Erez crossing on the same day.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Azzam in Cairo to discuss issue of Islamic Jihad prisoners in Egypt’s jails
| [ 20/05/2010 - 11:05 AM ] |
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| GAZA, (PIC)-- Senior Islamic Jihad leader Nafid Azzam traveled on Wednesday to Cairo to discuss the file of his Movement’s detainees in Egyptian jails, who were arrested upon their return to the Gaza Strip. Spokesman for the Movement Da’wood Shihab said that Azzam went to Egypt after he received an official invitation to visit Cairo to discuss the file of Islamic Jihad prisoners there, denying any kind of mediation in this regard between his Movement and Egypt. The spokesman noted that the number of Islamic Jihad prisoners in Egyptian jails is about 30 Palestinians, affirming that all of them used legal ways and official documents during their travel from and to Egypt. In a related context, an Egyptian state security officer reported, on condition of anonymity, that a Palestinian citizen from Gaza called Ayman Nofal, imprisoned for years, is living in harsh incarceration conditions and exposed to severe torture in Egyptian jails. The officer said he saw Nofal twice being taken to the interrogation room with his hands and feet shackled, adding that the Palestinian prisoner was locked up alone for more than one year and a half inside Abu Zaabal prison in Cairo in a two square meter solitary cell, having no source of ventilation or lighting, except a metal bucket used as a toilet. He revealed further that in the last six months, a prisoner affiliated with Hamas joined Nofal in his new two square meter cell inside Al-Marj prison in Cairo and both of them sleep alternately because of the narrow area of the cell. “When I saw him, once, he was being carried by soldiers in the corridor of the investigation section and unable to walk alone because of the severe torture he was subjected to during the interrogation. His body was frail, his hair and beard were unshaven for months and he was wearing an unbearably smelly clothes to the extent that the two soldiers carrying him could not put up with the smell,” the officer confirmed. The officer noted that the prison administrations in Egypt deny the presence of Palestinian detainees in their cells and transfer them to special places underground whenever human rights activists visit the jails. He also disclosed that the prison administrations of Al-Marj, Burj Al-Arab and Abu Zaabal as well as the state security in Cairo received top official orders to tighten punitive measures against Palestinian prisoners and do everything that could humiliate them, especially those affiliated with Hamas, to punish them for their Movement’s refusal to sign Egypt’s reconciliation paper. |
IOA releases Abu Tir, IOF soldiers round up 7 citizens
| [ 20/05/2010 - 09:25 AM ] |
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OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) released Jerusalemite MP Mohammed Abu Tir after 43 months of incarceration during which he was moved from one IOA jail to another. Abu Tir, 59, has spent almost 30 years in aggregate in IOA jails and was charged in his last imprisonment sentence of affiliation with the Hamas parliamentary bloc. Abu Tir was detained in a campaign that did not spare any of Hamas elected MPs in the West Bank on 29/6/2006. Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued their daily arrest of Palestinian citizens in the West Bank and rounded up seven of them at dawn Thursday. The Israeli radio said that the IOF troops detained two in Bethlehem and five in Taku village, Bethlehem district, all of one family and all were 17 years old except one who was 20 years old. |
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