(MENAFN- Palestine News Network )
Bethlehem/PNN/
Palestinian institutions, activists, and the families of prisoners have urgently called on international human rights organizations and United Nations entities to intervene and save Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons who are subjected to the worst forms of torture.
This came during a press conference organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Society in cooperation with the Association of Prisoners and Liberated and the Prisoners' Authority, where they pointed out the arrest of about 3,000 Palestinians, including more than a hundred female prisoners and 280 children. The speakers explained that the prisoners are living in the most difficult conditions in light of the crimes committed by Israel.
The conference was opened by Abdul Zaghari, the head of the Prisoners Society in the West Bank, where he spoke about the reality of the prisoners, whether inside prisons or the magnitude of brutality and targeting of Palestinian civilians. He noted that the Israeli authorities pursue a repressive policy towards Palestinian citizens to terrorize them after October 7th of last year.
"We send a message to the world: Where are human rights organizations regarding the violations of the dignity of the prisoners?" Zaghari emphasized that these Israeli crimes are systematic, part of an Israeli policy adopted by the Israeli government led by the extremist Itamar Ben Gvir, the Minister of so-called Israeli National Security, who exploited the war and aggression to pass his racist and aggressive policies against the prisoners. The prisoners, with their unity inside the prisons, thwarted these policies before the war began, where Ben Gvir started implementing a wide range of sanctions against the prisoners, including assaulting them with beatings, punishing them, withdrawing their achievements, and narrowing them down by cutting off water and electricity, withdrawing the prisoners' belongings, assaulting them, and forcing them to strip naked. The prisons have become like the American Abu Ghraib prison, which gained notoriety for torturing prisoners in the past years, all of which is happening with American and European support.
Zaghari said, "Today, we appeal to international institutions that have failed to protect and support the Palestinian people, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, and at the forefront is the Human Rights Council, to press the occupation state to stop these crimes against the prisoners by forming investigation committees into what is happening in the prisons, including killings."
Regarding the situation of Palestinian female prisoners, Zaghari said that the female prisoners are threatened with murder, and they have been assaulted. The female prisoners have been isolated, and the prisons have turned into torture and killing centers.
Zaghari also pointed out that among the measures and sanctions being implemented in prisons is the occupation's suspension of all visits to prisons, where the International Red Cross is prevented from visiting, and lawyers are prevented from meeting with prisoners, describing what is happening in prisons as a catastrophic situation.
The head of the Prisoners Society expressed his hope that the Palestinian, Arab, and international media would contribute to shedding light on what Palestinian prisoners face in Israeli prisons. He emphasized the importance of implementing and expanding various support activities because there are hundreds of prisoners sentenced to life who have been forgotten by time due to the policies of the occupation, which closed all horizons for them, making them wait for death.
Zaghari pointed out that all the crimes committed by the occupation soldiers, members, and officers of the Prison Service, along with the policies of repression, have led to the martyrdom of six detainees. He clarified that there are fears that the occupation will deliberately kill the prisoners due to the lack of action by international organizations because of Israel's procedures, stating that the Red Cross has not been able to visit the prisons for forty-six days.
In this context, the head of the Prisoners Club called on the International Red Cross to issue a clear position through the media about whoever obstructs its work in monitoring the conditions of the prisoners.
He also addressed the suffering of sick prisoners, saying that there are medical cases inside the prisons. He pointed out that the prisoners Walid Daka and Azzam Al-Rifai represent the sick prisoners who need medication at specific times, and they are not given treatment.
Zaghari also addressed the attempts of the occupation to humiliate the prisoners and to portray them in unethical situations, such as forcing them to undress, dance, or kiss the Israeli flag. He stated that all these practices are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity punishable by international law, questioning where human rights organizations are in all their forms and whether they have become helpless.
During his response to journalists' questions, Zaghari emphasized the need to pay attention to the prisoners from Gaza in their special prison, and they are ready to provide any details about the prisoners.
Zaghari said in his responses to journalists' questions that the Prisoners Club or any prisoners' institutions are not partners, and no one has asked them to provide details about the prisoners, especially with talk of exchange or deals for the release of Israeli prisoners with the factions in Gaza. He stressed the importance of following up on the numbers, affirming that the Prisoners Club is fully prepared to send any details or numbers related to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Regarding the bodies of the martyrs and the prisoners of the Gaza Strip who were arrested by Israel after October 7th, Zaghari said that they do not have any information about them so far. The occupation issued a decision to arrest the prisoners and keep the bodies, announcing the establishment of a special prison for them, preventing them from being visited by lawyers or the International Red Cross for three months. There is a need to focus on all of them, whether they are resistance elements or civilians who entered Israeli settlements.
Zaghari also pointed out the importance of following up on the situation of Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, some of whom were deported to Gaza, and keeping part of them in detention. He pointed out that there are communications by human rights institutions in the Gaza Strip with prisoners' institutions, necessitating knowing the fate of all Gaza's sons detained by Israel. The Israeli occupation is intentionally hiding information about the Gaza prisoners, and the Israeli occupation bears responsibility for their health and lives.
In this context, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club called on the International Red Cross to issue a clear stance through the media regarding anyone obstructing its work in monitoring the conditions of the prisoners.
He also addressed the suffering of sick prisoners, stating that there are medical cases inside the prisons. He pointed out that the prisoners Walid Daka and Azzam Al-Rifai represent the sick prisoners who need medication at specific times, and they are not given treatment.
Zaghari also discussed the attempts of the occupation to humiliate the prisoners and to portray them in unethical situations, such as forcing them to undress, dance, or kiss the Israeli flag, in addition to assaulting them. He emphasized that all these practices are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity punishable by international law, questioning where human rights organizations are in all their forms and whether they have become helpless.
During his response to journalists' questions, Zaghari emphasized the need to pay attention to the prisoners from Gaza in their special prison, and they are ready to provide any details about the prisoners.
Zaghari said in his responses to journalists' questions that the Prisoners Club or any prisoners' institutions are not partners, and no one has asked them to provide details about the prisoners, especially with talk of exchange or deals for the release of Israeli prisoners with the factions in Gaza. He stressed the importance of following up on the numbers, affirming that the Prisoners Club is fully prepared to send any details or numbers related to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
Regarding the bodies of the martyrs and the prisoners of the Gaza Strip who were arrested by Israel after October 7th, Zaghari said that they do not have any information about them so far. The occupation issued a decision to arrest the prisoners and keep the bodies, announcing the establishment of a special prison for them, preventing them from being visited by lawyers or the International Red Cross for three months. There is a need to focus on all of them, whether they are resistance elements or civilians who entered Israeli settlements.
Zaghari also pointed out the importance of following up on the situation of Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, some of whom were deported to Gaza, and keeping part of them in detention. He pointed out that there are communications by human rights institutions in the Gaza Strip with prisoners' institutions, necessitating knowing the fate of all Gaza's sons detained by Israel. The Israeli occupation is intentionally hiding information about the Gaza prisoners, and the Israeli occupation bears responsibility for their health and lives.
"Israeli Cruelties: Stripping Prisoners of Dignity and Rights"
On his part, Mohammed Abdul Raba, the president of the Prisoners and Ex-detainees Association, stated that the prisoners are deprived of everything amid all the assaults that have been discussed. He pointed out that the prisoners in the prisons have lost everything, and they only have the clothes provided by the prison authorities. Therefore, the Israeli authorities force every released prisoner to strip off these clothes, releasing them while they are naked because their clothes have been confiscated.
Abdul Raba emphasized that the occupation seeks, through all these practices, to break the morale of the prisoners. He also noted that hundreds of prisoners have had their limbs and noses broken, as the prison authorities do not provide them with proper medical treatment. He stressed that the beatings, ill-treatment, living conditions, lack of food, and denial of medical treatment have led to the death of six prisoners so far, with fears of the deaths of dozens of other prisoners.
Abdul Raba pointed out that the army deliberately evacuates detainees from their homes at night, and prisoners from the prisons. They also force prisoners to walk during arrest operations. In addition, the members of the Nahshon unit, responsible for transferring prisoners from one prison to another or from prison to court, excel in torturing prisoners. The journey from prisons to courts has become a path of torture.
The president of the Prisoners and Ex-detainees Association stressed that the prisoners will not remain silent and will defend their freedom. If they feel that the door is closed in front of them, they will defend their dignity.
Abdul Raba called on the Palestinian political leadership to work on protecting the prisoners through diplomatic and political measures, whether by communicating with representatives of countries and international organizations to stop the massacre that the prisoner movement is facing in Palestine.
Mazuna Abu Srour: Hoping for the Imminent Release of Naser and All Prisoners
In her statement, Mazuna Abu Srour, the mother of the prisoner Naser Abu Srour, who is serving a life sentence and has spent 32 years in Israeli prisons so far, expressed her eager anticipation for the release of her son and all the prisoners. She stated that she prays for the release of her son and all the prisoners, hoping for divine intervention.
Mazuna Abu Srour added, "For 32 years, I have been speaking about the suffering of the prisoners and their families, and no one from this world has heard our suffering. Today, my heart is full of hope that they will hear all the sighs and suffering and act to save the prisoners who are facing difficult conditions in the prisons."
She expressed hope in the resilience of the people in Gaza because their steadfastness means liberation for the prisoners who are suffering significantly. She emphasized that the Palestinian families of the prisoners have been suffering, both today and in the past, and the world has not moved for their sake. She highlighted various aspects of the suffering of the families, including being prevented from visits, the torture of mothers during visits, and the persecution of the families of the prisoners. She emphasized the importance of continuing to talk about the prisoners to save them and stated that she will never remain silent until all the prisoners are liberated.
Mazuna Abu Srour expressed her hope for the imminent release of all prisoners, ensuring that none of them remains in prisons that should be emptied, especially after enduring the prisoners' plight for 32 years. She mentioned her pain whenever she hears about new arrests, as she does not want mothers to feel the pain of their sons' incarceration.
She also spoke about the various forms of torture that prisoners face, drawing from her experience with the torture of her son Naser Abu Srour, including electrocution, beatings, isolation, denial of visits, medical neglect, and other forms of torment inflicted on the prisoners.
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