THE HANDSTAND

september 2004

          • "When goodness grows weak,
            When evil increases,
            I make myself a body.

            In every age I come back
            To deliver the holy,
            To destroy the sin of the sinner,
            To establish righteousness."

  • Bhagavad Gita
    * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    Some 1,500 Palestinian political prisoners housed in three main Israeli jails began a hunger strike Sunday morning. Prisoners are drinking water but not eating. In reaction to the strike, the Prisons Service imposed additional restrictions, removing radios and television sets from jail cells, did not
    distribute newspapers, canceled family visits and stopped selling cigarettes.

    Palestinian Political Prisoners Started the Open Ended Hunger Strike

    Palestinian Political Prisoners in Nafah, Eishel, and Hadarim Prisons rejected breakfast, marking the start of an open ended hunger strike. Prisoners in other prisons and detention centers will join the hunger strike in the coming days. Around 4,000 prisoners will join the first stage of the general hunger
    strike. It is not known whether or when the remaining 4,000 Palestinians in military detention centers join the strike.

    Israeli Prison Authority and Security officials rejected prisoners' demands, and insisted that political motivations are behind the prisoners' move. "Palestinian security prisoners can starve to death" Israeli Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said Friday, affirming that Israel does not intend to positively deal with prisoners' demands.

    In protest against grieve human conditions inside Israeli jails, some 8,000 Palestinian political prisoners announced earlier this month their intention to start an open ended hunger strike on August 15. The prisoners are demanding public telephones in their cell blocks, the removal of glass separating them from visiting relatives, adequate health care, and an end to "intrusive" body searches. What is certain is that the prisoners are threatening to extend their hunger strike in a dramatic fashion, some even hinting that they would be willing to in fact die of hunger, imitating inmates in Turkey and Northern Ireland.

    The prisons authority warned that if the hunger strike goes ahead, the prisoners will suffer the loss of existing privileges, including end to all family visits as well as a loss of television and radio privileges. The Prisons authority prepared two special units with expertise in crowd dispersal and mass evacuation of injured prisoners to hospitals.

    LAWYERS' VISITS TO CENTRAL PRISONS

    Lawyers face many difficulties when they visit Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.  Prior to their visits they have to coordinate the visit with the prison's administration.  A list that indicates the names of prisoners that the lawyer intends to visit and a power of attorney must be sent to the prison's administration.  This restricts prisoners' access to a lawyer.

    * Visits to criminal prisoners are easier.  The procedures are usually quick.  Lawyers generally have their ID cards and briefcases checked quickly before the visit.

    * In the case of political prisoners, the lawyer has to send the name of the prisoner he intends to visit, together with a power of attorney.  He/she then has to wait for one or two days to receive a response.  Lawyers are not allowed to wait inside the prison building.  They submit the names of the prisoners they intend to visit and wait outside the prison for long hours.  On 24 June 2004, Addameer's lawyer Mahmoud Hassan had to wait over three hours before being allowed to enter Shatta Prison.  Before entering the prison, lawyers are subjected to a personal search, which is sometimes carried out in a humiliating manner.  They are forced to take off their shoes to be checked electronically.

    * Recently, lawyers have not been allowed to bring their briefcases with them into some of the prisons. For example, in Shkema Prison ('Asqalan) lawyers may not bring their briefcases with them even if they want to attend a detention renewal session.  Visits are carried out in special rooms that are restrictive - a physical barrier separates the prisoner and the lawyer.  They can not communicate easily and directly: instead, they must communicate through an internal telephone.  A prison guard who understands Arabic is usually present in the room.  He/she takes notes, despite the decisions of the Israeli High Court regarding the illegality of this act.  The High Court held that guards must be at a distance where he/she can see the prisoner but cannot hear the conversation between the prisoner and the lawyer.  However, if a lawyer informs a prison guard of this requirement, a fight usually erupts, and the guard argues that he/she received orders from the prison administration to monitor the conversation, with the intention to restrict the prisoner's and lawyer's freedom to speak and argue freely.

    * Many complaints have been submitted to the prison administration to protest these conditions.  Recently, a petition has been submitted to the Attorney General and the Israeli Prisons Authority regarding the presence and behavior of prison guards in the visitation rooms.  These officials responded that the guards believed that they were performing their duty, but that they would have them stop such behavior.  On 24 June 2004, Addameer's lawyer, during a visit to a prisoner in Shatta, had to interrupt his conversation with his client many times to ask the guard to move away.  The guard went away but then he came back again to listen to the conversation.

    * Lawyers usually meet political prisoners in the same room where families meet with their sons who are held criminally.  This, of course, hinders the visit and restrains the ability to talk.



    Israeli media reported Tuesday, 10th August, that the detained elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Marwan Al-Barghouthi -- in solitary confinement since his kidnapping from the West City of Ramallah in April 2002 -- was denied family or other
    visits.

Palestinian Council of Ministers on Tuesday decried the Israeli assault on Palestinians in the Gilboa jail where the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) detain at least 800 anti occupation activists in the northern Israeli town of Kfar Saba, following a protest that was violently dispersed, wounding at least twenty detainees.

The main Palestinian prisoners’ association, the Prisoners’ Club, said in a statement Tuesday that at least 20 detainees had been wounded when an IOF elite riot squad used tear gas and batons to break up the detainees’ protest.

The protest began on Tuesday morning after detainees had all refused to have breakfast as an act of protest, it said.

The detainees began their protest when an Israeli criminal with intent showered them with boiling cooking oil, exposing them to severe burnings, while the IOF soldiers guarding the jail did not offer first aid to the three burnt detainees, worsening their conditions.

UPDATE:Israel turns up heat on prisoners Israel has launched a psychological war against hundreds of Palestinian inmates on hunger strike for better conditions. Prison officers are setting up barbecues outside cells and have told guards to eat in front of prisoners.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3569760.stm
AUG 17th Palestinians march for hunger strike prisoners as Israel tempts inmates The crowds assembled outside the local offices of the Red Cross before marching towards the Gaza headquarters of the United Nations where they delivered a letter addressed to Secretary General Kofi Annan, calling for him to apply pressure on Israel and improve conditions for the prisoners.




Using Dogs Against Prisoners is Not a Secret Anymore
Translated by: Saed Bannoura, IMEMC, June 2004, 12:55

Despite the fact that several Palestinian detainees spoke about the army using trained dogs against them during interrogation, the media did not really take these facts for granted as it lacked concrete evidence. After several facts and information about methods of torture used against Iraqi detainees, and the pictures released showing the usage of dogs in torturing them, several Palestinian institutions specializing with the issues of the detainees started to speak up and reveal facts about the usage of dogs against Palestinian detainees during interrogation in order to achieved forced confessions.

Arab MK, Ahmad Tibi said that he received a letter from Hanegbi which includes his confession of using such methods. Tibi added that he presented several cases during the a session of the internal security committee in the Knesset, the cases included assaulting the detainees and torturing them. Tibi said that he received messages from Nael Al-Sakhl, Samir Sawafta, Rabee Hussein, Abdel-Karim Basshar, Mahmoud Al-Hamsheery, Aysar Al-Atrash, Nafeth Salim, Mohammad Olewi, Imsail Abu Eischa, Shaker Abu Kees and several other detainees.

It seems that the torture methods were not enough, the Shabak, decided to add additional methods which are resembled in using wild dogs in guarding the detainees and detention camps. The American newspaper “Washington Post” revealed lately methods used by the Israeli army against the Palestinians detainees, and said that “it in fact exceeds the brutal methods used by American soldiers in Abu Gharib prison in Iraq”.

Meanwhile, an Israeli source told the Israeli radio, that the Shabak, went to Tel Aviv Municipality and requested an “Amstav” dog, which is originally from Germany, and the municipality wanted to kill it after it attacked and killed a four years old child in front of her mother in Tel Aviv.The source said that the security devices intend to use this killer-dog in guarding the Palestinian detainees in a detention camp. Arab Mk Azmi Bishara, demanded forming a committee in order to investigate the methods of torture used against the Palestinian detainees, and added that he has information about “using brutal methods” against the detainees. Bishara said in a letter sent to “Prison Authorities” department and to the Minister of Internal Security in Israel, which stated that, “tens of Palestinian detainees from the west Bank and the Gaza Strip, and Israeli Arab detainees, are subjected to various methods of torture in “Shatta” and Majeddo” detention camps. Source: Amin Abu Warda – Palestine News Network




7,500 Palestinians Humiliated, Tortured, And Living in Wretched Conditions in Israeli Occupation Prisons

Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, over 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel.  This forms approximately 20% of the total Palestinian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).  Considering the fact that the majority of those detained are male, the number of Palestinians detained forms approximately 40% of the total male Palestinian population in the OPT.

As of 15 August 2004, there are approximately 7,500 Palestinian political prisoners being held in Israeli prisons.  Over 750 of these are administrative detainees, held without charge or trial for indefinite periods of time.  380 of the political prisoners are aged 18 and under, 78 of whom are 16 years and under.  There are 106 Palestinian female political prisoners, 20 of whom are mothers and 2 of whom gave birth in prison, with their children remaining in prison with them.  Of the total 7,500 political prisoners, 3,800 are being held in civil prisons, with the remaining political prisoners held in Israeli military detention centers and prison camps.

The arrest and detention of Palestinians living within the OPT is governed by a wide-ranging set of military regulations that govern every aspect of Palestinian civilian life.  There are approximately 1500 military regulations governing the West Bank and over 1400 governing the Gaza Strip.  The Israeli military commander of the region issues military orders, and the issuance of new orders often remains unknown and become apparent when they are implemented, as the military commander may issue new military regulations at any moment.

Palestinians are tried within Israeli military courts located within Israeli military centers in the OPT.  These military tribunals are presided over by a panel of three judges appointed by the military, two of who often do not have any legal training or background. These tribunals rarely fall within the required international standards of fair trial.

Israeli prisons and military detention camps are primarily located within the 1948 borders of Israel.  There are a total of 5 interrogation centers, 6 detention/holding centers, 3 military detention camps, and about 20 prisons in which Palestinians from the OPT are held.  The location of prisons within Israel and the transfer of detainees to locations within the occupying power's territory are illegal under international law and constitute a war crime.  The Fourth Geneva Convention explicitly states that "Protected persons accused of offences shall be detained in the occupied country, and if convicted they shall serve their sentences therein." (Article 47)  Most of the Palestinian Prisoners are being held in detention facilities located outside the OPT.

As a result of an arbitrary permit system which governs Palestinians movement within the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and to and from the 1948 borders of Israel, family visits to detainees are often not possible, extremely infrequent, or impossible.  Since the beginning of the current Intifada in September 2000, family visits have been prevented repeatedly and for long periods at a time.

Under Israeli military regulations a Palestinian can be detained for up to 8 days without the Israeli military informing the detainee of the reason for his/her arrest and without being brought before a judge.  Between April and June 2002, this period of time was increased by Israeli military order 1500 to 18 days.  Following or during the 8 days of detention, a detainee is sent to an interrogation center, charged with an offense, given an administrative detention order, or released.

A Palestinian detainee can be interrogated for a total period of 180 days, during which he/she can also be denied lawyer visits for a period of 60 days.  During the interrogation period, a detainee is often subjected to some form of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment ranging in extremity, whether physical or psychological.  The use of practices that constitute torture during interrogation has been legalized within the Israeli judicial system and permitted in individual cases in which the GSS deems a detainee a threat to state security or a "ticking bomb".  In some instances, detainees have died while in custody as a result of torture.   Confessions extracted through torture are admissible in court and/or military tribunal.

Administrative detention, arrest without charge or trial, has been used as a form of collective punishment by the Israeli military against Palestinians, illegal in this form under international law.  For example, during the period of March 2002 to October 2002, Israeli occupying forces arrested over 15,000 Palestinians during mass arrest campaigns, rounding up males in cities and villages between the ages of 15 to 45.  In October 2002, there were over 1,050 Palestinians in administrative detention.

Administrative detention is indefinitely renewable under military regulations.  A detainee may be given an administrative detention order for a period of between 1 to 6 months, after which the order may be renewed again.  Administrative detention is based on secret evidence brought forward during military tribunals, to which neither the detainee nor his/her lawyer have access to.  One of the longest Palestinian administrative detainees remained in custody for over 8 years, without being charged with a crime.

Under military regulations in force in the OPT, a child over the age of 16 is considered an adult, contrary to the defined age of a child as under 18 in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, to which Israel is a signatory.   In practice, Palestinian children may be charged and sentenced in military courts beginning at the age of 12.  Between the age of 12-14, children can be sentenced for offences for a period of up to six months.  For example, a child who is charged for throwing a stone can be sentenced to six months imprisonment.  After the age of 14, Palestinian children are tried as adults.  There are no juvenile courts and children are often held and serve their sentences in cells with criminal prisoners and are often not separated from adults, illegal under international law.

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According to the Palestinian prisoners society (PPS), 95% of the imprisoned are civilians. In some cases, complete families were arrested and put in jail. More than 12 prisons and detention centers serve to accommodate these prisoners.

The prisoners of the notorious Al Ramlah jail accounted their affidavits about the worsening incarceration conditions and humiliation.

The Palestinian prisoner society (PPS) reported that the PPS‘s lawyer Hanan Al Khatib paid a visit to a number of the inmates in the cell No. (8) of Al Ramlah prison, absorbing 60 ones. It is a newly-established one that is to be used to isolate the inmates.

Affidavit

The prisoner Suman, mentioned that conditions inside the potential overcrowded solitary cell are extremely dire as there are 8-10 prisoners in a cell that likely absorbed only four.

“The hygiene situation terribly goes downhill as the humidity fills the cells” Suman told the PPS’s lawyer.

He pointed out the meals served to the prisoners were very insipid and most of prisoners were unjustifiably denied family visits. He added that his wife was deprived of visiting him since his arrest.

“We will begin an open hunger strike protesting the wretched conditions the prisoners have been subjected to “the PPS’s lawyer was quoted as saying.

He spoke out the prisons authorities were not extending necessary medicine to the sick captives and only supplying them with sedatives, the sick prisoner Reyad Al Amour, suffering a heart disease, in a miserable condition and the prisoner Ibraheem Al Beitar, afflicted with blood coagulation and the worsening health conditions of the prisoner Eyad Fa’noon, suffering backache due to the cruel repression exercised on him by the interrogators of Al Maskoubyia jail.

He disclosed the wounded prisoners, who in a very need of a surgical operation to remove the shrapnel instilled their bodies, For example, the prisoners Omar Al Shurabji , Nu’man Ebyiat And Baker Darghma.

The prisoner Nu’man Jubran, from Bethlehem city was arrested on 19 January, 2003, told the PPS’s lawyer that he has being suffering stomach no medication served to him despite of the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision to make for him a check up but the decision has not implemented yet.

He said that his family was denied to visit him claiming security reasons.

Another prisoner, Ameer Al Ameer, from Bethlehem, told the PPS’s laywer about their basic demands from the prison service “to stop the humiliating nudeness search, proper meals, not put expensive fines on the prisoners and allowing their families to visit them. “

Ameer said that the lack of medication worsened the health situation of the sick prisoners , for example a prisoner had a severe colic after an hour the doctor of the prison came and made the check up via a hole in door of the cell without even touching him and prescribed him to drink a cup of water.


Telling his son about conditions under arrest.................................