A-Infos (en) Occupied Palestine, Wide Spread Arrest Campaigns Continue

["Addameer" <addameer@planet.edu>]

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      A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
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25 November 2000  

Wide Spread Arrest Campaigns Continue
Israeli Authorities Torture Palestinian Detainees  

As the Al Aqsa Intifada enters its 59th day, widespread arrest 
campaigns conducted by the Israeli Occupation forces continue 
against Palestinians since the beginning of the uprising on 29 
September 2000.  

Addameer Prisoners=92 Support and Human Rights Association 
estimates that there are approximately 1650 Palestinian detainees 
in Israeli prisons distributed as follows:   

650 detainees held in Meggido Prison;
235 detainees held in Nafha Prison;
450 detainees held in =91Asqalan Prison;
and 70 detainees held in Al Muscobiyeh (Russian Compound) 
Prison.   


Torture:  

Visits by Addameer=92s lawyer Adv. Sahar Francis to Israeli 
detention centers revealed that the Israeli authorities and their 
intelligence services are conducting extended periods of 
interrogation sessions with Palestinian detainees, often lasting well 
into the evening, from early afternoon until 1am.  During their 
interrogation, Palestinian detainees are being subjected to position 
abuse (shabeh), their hands handcuffed behind their backs and to 
the back of a small chair that they are made to sit on for prolonged 
periods of time.  Family and lawyer visits are denied throughout the 
interrogation period for the vast majority of detainees.   Addameer=92s 
lawyer has documented a number of cases in which legal access 
has been prohibited, including visits to Palestinian detainees 
Nu=92man Hammoudeh, Munther Salah and Nihad Sandouqa.  

Detainee Mahmoud Salah Iddin was subjected to position abuse 
(shabeh) for periods of more than 20 hours, made to sit on a small 
chair in a painful position, and was interrogated in this manner for 
approximately five consecutive days.   He was also denied visits for 
15 days, from the day of his arrest on 30 November 2000 until 14 
November 2000.   He was later released and was able to give an 
affidavit as to conditions of his arrest.   

In a similar case at the Russian Compound (Al Muscobiyeh), 
Ashraf Badir was interrogated for 7 consecutive days.   Fares 
Mohammad from Burqa was also interrogated for 24 consecutive 
hours while made to stand in a painful and awkward position 
throughout the interrogation period.  Detainee Murad Huwwari was 
severely beaten to his chest by a senior interrogator at Al 
Muscobiyeh when he objected to the fact that the policeman on 
guard ignored his needs and requests, responding only by shouting 
and cursing at him, threatening  to cuff his hands and legs to the 
bars of his cell.   

Solitary confinement:  

In a great number of documented cases, interrogation is being 
conducted by the Israeli Authorities while detainees are in solitary 
confinement.  Palestinian detainees are being held in solitary 
confinement throughout the period of interrogation and are not 
allowed to meet with any other individuals other than Israeli 
interrogators as a method of placing pressure on detainees and 
subjecting them to psychological torture, particularly for those who 
are being detained for the first time.   

Administrators of interrogation centers within Israeli prisons have 
been holding detainees for the maximum period of detention 
permitted under Israeli military occupation regulations, a period of 
30 consecutive days.   

Palestinian detainees that Adv. Sahar Francis was able to visit 
stated that all detainees are being subjected to all forms of verbal 
abuse, including shouting threats, cursing, and name calling by 
both interrogators and guards.  

Addameer Prisoners=92 Support and Human Rights Association 
expresses its deep concern towards the policy of the Israeli 
Authorities in subjecting Palestinian detainees to long periods of 
interrogation and the practice of various forms of torture against 
detainees.   

Denying detainees the right to their personal individual belongings:  

Addameer Prisoners=92 Support and Human Rights Association 
expresses its deep concern for the negative effect on Palestinian 
detainees resulting from the denial by the Israeli Authorities to 
allow for detainees=92 basic necessities to be supplied to them 
through the International Committee of the Red Cross and other 
organizations.   Detainees already face harsh circumstances 
because of the lack of basic needs such as adequate food 
supplies.  The Israeli Authorities only permit the families of 
Palestinian detainees who are residents of Jerusalem and carry 
blue Israeli identity cards to admit basic supplies to detainees, and 
this only to a limited degree.   

Many families from the West Bank who have been unable to visit 
their relatives in Israeli prisons for more than two months as a 
result of a strict Israeli imposed closure and denial of travel 
permits, have attempted to forward foodstuff but were unable to do 
so, turned away and often threatened by Israeli soldiers that they 
would also be arrested.   

Family Visits:  

The Israeli Authorities have denied family visits to Palestinian 
detainees for a period of over 8 weeks.  Since the beginning of the 
Al Aqsa Uprising on 29 September 2000, the Israeli Authorities 
cancelled all permits for Palestinians to travel within Israel, thus 
denying Palestinian families and Palestinian lawyers from being 
able to access Palestinian detainees who are being held in Israeli 
prisons in 1948 Palestinian areas.  These measures are further 
violations against both detainees and their families.   

The Israeli Authorities attempted to negotiate with Palestinian 
prisoners the possibility of allowing family visits, but according to 
specific conditions.  The main conditions include:
-- Family visits are to be limited to parents, wives and children up 
to ten years old only;
-- Permits to visit for those who fall under this category are given for 
only one day;
-- No entry of foodstuff or personal belongings is allowed. 
Palestinian prisoners rejected these conditions, with family visits 
prohibited by the Israeli authorities to date.   

The severe measures taken by the Israeli Authorities have not been 
limited to prohibiting family visits, but also extend to banning 
telephone contact between prisoners and family.  This is 
particularly worrying as prisoners are isolated from the outside 
world, without any knowledge of family members or friends=92 safety 
in light of the clashes and the continuous attacks on Palestinian 
neighborhoods with tanks and heavy machine gun fire.   Without 
any form of contact with their families, Palestinian detainees 
remain worried as to the well being of the families and friends.   

Health Conditions:  

Addameer Prisoners=92 Support and Human Rights Association has 
observed through lawyer visits that the health conditions of 
Palestinian detainees is visibly worsening, particularly as concerns 
problems with skin, teeth and bones.  This is a direct result of the 
fact that the Israeli Authorities have halted visits by physicians to 
prisoners since the beginning of clashes on 29 September 2000.  

The =93Last Third=94 Cases:  

Addameer Prisoners=92 Support and Human Rights Association has 
been following up on a number of detainees =93Last Third=94 cases, 
when a prisoner is presented before a special committee to 
investigate the possibility of release after serving two thirds of his 
sentence.  This committee was put in place at the beginning of 
October 2000, as was arranged long before the beginning of the 
recent clashes.  The Israeli Prison=92s Authority introduces reports to 
this committee on specific detainees who apply to the committee 
for consideration of early release.   

Addameer has recently noticed that the decisions of this 
committee have been affected by the on-going clashes outside 
prisons, justifying the rejection of early release of detainees based 
on the premise that once they are released they may take part in 
the clashes.   

Among the cases taken on by Addameer, 16 Palestinian prisoners 
who have spent more than two thirds of their sentence have applied 
for early release to this committee.  Muayad Abu Baker and 
Khaled Jadou were among six prisoners rejected 
for early release, while four were released, and the remaining six asking =
to 
postpone their reviews at this time for fear that they will be rejected as=
 a 
result of the current situation.   


In light of the above, Addameer Prisoners=92 Support and Human Rights Asso=
ciation 
demands:
-- An immediate halt to the use of torture and ill treatment, whether 
physical or psychological, against all Palestinian detainees.  
Israel=92s use of torture is in direct contradiction to treaties banning 
the use of torture, as Israel continues to violate all relevant 
international agreements that it has been obliged to abide by.
-- To immediately allow families, relatives and lawyers to visit 
prisoners, a basic right of all prisoners guaranteed by international 
laws and conventions.
-- To guarantee proper health and medical care to Palestinian 
prisoners being detained in Israeli prisons.  

______________________________________________________________________
ADDAMEER - Prisoners' Support and Human Rights Association
PO Box: 17338, Jerusalem.
Ramallah, West Bank.
Tel: +972-2-2960446 Fax: +972-2-2960447
E-mail: addameer@planet.edu
URL: http://www.addameer.org/
______________________________________________________________________


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