Recaptured Palestinian prisoner starts hunger strike in protest of ‘inhumane’ conditions

An Israeli court formally indicted this week the six recaptured Palestinian prisoners, who last month achieved a historic escape from a maximum security Israeli prison last month that shocked the world. 

The prisoners, all of whom are from the area of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, were recaptured within hours of each other in late September, after a weeks long manhunt by Israeli authorities. 

The court officially charged the six prisoners on Sunday with escaping from the Gilboa prison in northern Israel, a charge that carries a hefty prison sentence. Five others were also charged with aiding the prisoners in their escape, Al Jazeera reported. 

Following their recapture, Israeli authorities conducted weeks of interrogations on the prisoners, during which time the prisoners’ lawyers alleged that their clients were tortured and subject to inhumane conditions. 

On Monday, the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission said that one of the prisoners, Mohammed Ardah, had began a hunger strike in protest of the “punitive measures against him and the harsh conditions of his solitary confinement.”

According to the commission’s lawyer Kareem Ajwa, among the punitive measures being taken against Ardah include keeping him in isolation with no personal belongings, a ban on family visits and access to the prison canteen for two months, as well as a number of financial fines imposed on him. 

Ardah, who is being held in the Asqalan (Ashkelon) prison in southern Israel, is allegedly being isolated in a “small, dirty, unventilated cell that lacks the basic humanitarian requirement,” according to the report.  

Ardah also reportedly told his lawyer that he has not been able to shower for days, “because he is being monitored around the clock by surveillance cameras.”

According to Al Jazeera, Ardah’s lawyer said the court is expected to issue a “formal isolation order” against Ardah and the other prisoners. Such isolation orders can be renewed every six months, Al Jazeera noted, adding that the prisoners may face years in isolation, according to the lawyer. 

Administrative detainees on strike

As Ardah launched his hunger strike, a number of Palestinian prisoners being held under administrative detention continued their hunger strikes in protest of their detention, with one prisoner on strike for more than 80 days. 

The six prisoners are Kayed Fasfous, Meqdad Qawasmeh, Alaa al-Araj, Hisham Abu Hawash, Rayeq Bsharat, and Shadi Abu Aker, all of whom have been on hunger strike for periods ranging between 40 – 84 days.

On strike the longest is Fasfous, a resident of the Hebron-area town of Dura in the southern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS), Fasfous was transferred to Israel’s Kaplan Hospital on Monday after his health deteriorated. 

Meqdad, who has been on strike for nearly as long, over 75 days, was also transferred to the same hospital. 

The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) released a statement saying it was concerned for the health of Fasfous and Meqdad, saying “we are concerned about potentially irreversible consequences of such prolonged hunger strike to their health and life.”

Hunger striking is a common form of protest for Palestinian political prisoners, particularly those under administrative detention — a widely-condemned policy used by Israel to imprison Palestinians without charge or trial for indefinite periods of time. 

There are currently 520 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails under the policy. 

So where are the Palestinian voices in mainstream media?

Mondoweiss covers the full picture of the struggle for justice in Palestine. Read by tens of thousands of people each month, our truth-telling journalism is an essential counterweight to the propaganda that passes for news in mainstream and legacy media.

Our news and analysis is available to everyone – which is why we need your support. Please contribute so that we can continue to raise the voices of those who advocate for the rights of Palestinians to live in dignity and peace.

Palestinians today are struggling for their lives as mainstream media turns away. Please support journalism that amplifies the urgent voices calling for freedom and justice in Palestine.

Source

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes