Israeli Authorities Deprive Detainees’ Families the Right to visit their Relatives
Date: 3th May 2000
Ref: 51/2000
On 2 May 2000 the Israeli authorites prevented Gazan families from visiting their detained relatives in Hadariem prison north of Tel Aviv. The detainees’ families arrived at Hadariem prison in the morning on buses organised by the ICRC. They were not allowed to enter the prison in order to visit their relatives. The Israeli decision to ban the families from visiting their relatives was taken without former coordination with the ICRC.
About 80 Palestinian prisoners are being held in Hadariem prison. For the past 8 months these prisoners have been isolated from the outside world. During this period their families were not allowed to visit them, except for once, two weeks ago.
Moreover, the prisoners in Hadariem prison are suffering from difficult living and health conditions. Their conditions have worsened since the prison administration adopted a series of arbitrary measures against them. These include depriving dozens of prisoners of their right to receive regular visits and placing prisoners in isolation for as long as a year, in clear violation of the concerned international conventions.
In reaction, the prisoners in Hadariem prison, with other groups of isolated prisoners in Beer Sheva and Asqlan prisons, started a hunger strike a few days ago in protest at the deterioration in their living and health conditions, and the deprival of their minimum rights under the concerned international conventions.
PCHR places the complete responsibility on the Israeli government for the deterioration of the prisoners’ conditions in its prisons. At the same time, PCHR warns of the possibility of an explosive situation in all Israeli prisons, and calls upon the international community to pressure Israel to respect the concerned international conventions and agreements.
“End”
