Online Seminar on the criminal Israeli violations against Palestinian prisoners
Global Rights Watch Organisation (GRW) organised an online seminar on the criminal’s Israeli practices against Palestinian detainees in the occupation prisons and Israeli role in violating human rights. The seminar was held the evening October 21, 2021, in which experts, human rights defenders, media professionals and activists in the field of human rights has participated.
The Seminar was moderated by the journalist Samer Khweira. The most prominent speakers were the former Director General of the Ministry of Prisoners’ Affairs, Mr. Samer Samaro and Dr. Areen Badwan, in charge of children and female prisoners’ file at the Prisoners and Prisons’ Affairs Authority.
Mr. Samer Samaro stressed on the seriousness of the health situation of the prisoners on hunger strike, especially those who had not eaten for more than a hundred days, such as the prisoner Kayed Al-Fasfous, the prisoner Miqdad Al-Qawasma and Alaa Al-Araj.Mr.Samaro appealed on human rights organizations and international human rights organizations to intervene in releasing the hunger strikers and save their lives. The prison’s administration continues to obstruct lawyers’ visits to prisoners on hunger strike, in order to impose more isolation on them. It prevents the familyvisit since they started the strike, as a punitive measure, as well as isolating them from their fellow prisoners. Mr. Samaro pointed out that there are 1,200 prisoners who suffer from chronic diseases and do not receive the necessary health care, and there is a group of elderly people who can no longer bear the hell of prison, such as Fouad Al-Shoubak (82 years). There are also 37 female prisoners suffering from the illness of separation from their children and families. There are 750 prisoners as well sentenced to life imprisonment, in addition to 226 martyrs whose bodies are still inside prisons. There are also 540 administrative detainees who were arrested without being informed of the charges against them and enabling them to have the right to defend and discuss evidence, which constitutes a serious denial to fair trial guaranteed under international law. Mr. Samarustressed the need for popular solidarity with the prisoners to bring their case strongly to the international community.
Dr. Areen Badwan spoke about the suffering of women detainees, counting about 40 females, as Palestinian women prisoners are subjected, from the moment of their arrest, to beatings, humiliation, insults and cursing. Where all methods of pressure are exercised against them, whether psychological or physical, such as beating, deprivation of sleep, and intimidation, without taking into account their femininity and special needs. (Esraa Al-Jaabis), who has severe burns and needs surgical intervention to save the rest of her body, the authorities also arrest pregnant women like AnharAlDeek, who were liberated under the international community’s pressure, and moved to the home prison due to childbirth. Dr. Arin also added that “there are about 250 children in detention, some of whom were arrested while they were shot, and the occupation authorities did not take into account their injuries, but rather tortured and beat them severely instead of treating them.
The other interventions stressed the need for more popular solidarity with the detainees to deliver their voices and suffering to the international community concerned with preventing violations. Israel, as an occupying power, continues to violate the rights of Palestinian citizens to self-determination and to commit more crimes that clearly contradict the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. and other international instruments in the field of human rights, and the occupying power has started to belittle the international human rights system and do not value it.
Recommendations
• Calling on popular sit-ins and massive participation to put pressure to draw attention to the suffering of the prisoners.
• Activating the media role and increasing the cooperation between the media and prisoners’ affairs institutions in order to convey the detainees ‘suffering to the international community organizations entrusted with defending human rights.
• Launching an urgent appeal to the concerned United Nations organizations to provide protection for Palestinian prisoners, especially the sick and those on hunger strike.
• Launching special programs (medical and educational) to follow-up liberated children and ensure their education and integration into society.
