Press Release

 

15 days of escalating tension in Ashkelon Prison, as Families are denied

access to visit their sons.

Ref: 10299

Date: October 13, 1999

Since Two weeks, Ashkelon Prison has witnessed strong tension between the prison administration and the Palestinian detainees. The tension started after the prison administration prevented the detainee’s families from visiting their relatives in prison.

On October 13, 1999, the Ashkelon prison Administration prevented, for the second time detainee’s families from visiting their sons. The first time was on September 29, 1999 when the prison Administration claimed it was carrying out searches inside the prison to find Mobile phones.

On October 3, 1999, the administration of the prison suddenly stormed cells in the prison, forcing the detainees to take off their clothes, before beating and abusing them.

At the same time, the prison administration has placed 50 detainees in isolation cells, restricted the movement of the other detainees in the prison, and confiscated their private properties.

Furthermore, the prison administration has imposed new measures against the detainees. Amongst these measures, are the practice of binding and chaining their hands and legs for their appearences before the Israeli Military court, and forcing them to take off their clothes, and beating them. The

justification given for these harsh new measures was security searches. The effects of the beatings were clear on some of these detainees when they arrived at the Israeli Military court at Erez on 10-11 October 1999. Amongst them were the detainees Mohammed Dokhan, and Munier Abu Dba’ah.

Moreover, on October 11, 1999, the prison administration transferred the detainee Mohammed Hazem Dowaas, 20 years old from Jabalia Camp, to an isolation cell in El Ramla prison and beat him. This was a result of the detainee’s attempt to stab a jailer. In addition to that the prison

administration transferred the detainee Abe Al Aziz El Sharatah’a, 41 years old from Jabalia Camp, to an isolation cell at Beer El Saba’a.

The Palestinian Centre For Human Rights (PCHR) expresses its deep concern at the deterioration in the conditions of the detainees of Ashkelon prison, and considers that the measured adopted by the prison Administration are unduly severe. These measures are contrary to the minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners set out by the United Nations in 1995. At the same time, PCHR warns that the situation in Israeli prisons could explode if the prison administration persists in adopting such severe measures.

Moreover, PCHR calls the international community in general, and the High Contracting Parties to Fourth Geneva Convention in particular, to pressure Israel to meet its legal obligations concerning the detainees, particularly its commitments to release the Arab and Palestinian detainees inside its prisons.