Ref: 24/2012
Date: 27 February 2012
Time: 12:00 GMT
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is concerned for the life of Hana’ Shalabi, a detainee in Israeli jails who has been on hunger strike for approximately 2 weeks. PCHR calls upon the international community to pressurize Israel to release Shalabi, who has been placed under administrative detention, primarily for 6 renewable months, without trial.
On 16 February 2012, IOF raided the house of Hana’ Yehya Saber Shalabi, 30, in Burqin village near the northern West Bank city of Jenin. IOF arrested Shalabi and transferred her to Hasharon women’s prison. An order was issued by IOF to place Shalabi under administrative detention for 6 months. Shalabi has been on hunger strike since the first day of her detention. It should be noted that Shalabi was released from Israeli jails in the recent prisoners swap after serving two years in administrative detention.
According to Fawwaz Shalloudi, a lawyer from the Palestinian Prisoner Club Society, who visited Shalabi on Sunday, 26 February 2012, Shalabi was beaten, subjected to maltreatment and subjected to a naked search during her arrest by the IOF. Shalloudi reported that the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) placed Shalabi in solitary confinement.
Sherin Iraqi, a lawyer from the Ministry of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners, visited Shalabi in detention. Iraqi reported that Shalabi’s health conditions are deteriorating and that she is in solitary confinement and has not undergone any medical examinations since she has started her hunger strike. She also reported that Shalabi was beaten and subjected to maltreatment while IOF were arresting her and that IPS has threatened to transfer Shalabi to the criminal section in al-Ramla prison if she continues her hunger strike.
The case of Shalabi reminds of the case of Khader Adnan who went on hunger strike for 66 days starting from 17 December 2011 after an Israeli court had issued a decision placing him under administrative detention for 4 months. Adnan stopped his hunger strike on the 66th day in exchange for releasing him on 17 April 2012.
The case of Shalabi highlights the conditions of more than 300 Palestinians who are currently placed under administrative detention in Israeli prisons and detention facilities, including the Speaker and 20 Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. These actions are in violation of the right of a detainee to a fair trial, including the right to receive appropriate defense and to be informed of charges against him. Administrative detention is applied by an administrative order only without referring to a court, thus violating the standards of impartial judicial procedures, including fair trial.
PCHR is concerned for the life of Shalabi, who has been detained in Israeli jails, and:
