PRESS RELEASE

Released @ 12.00 hours GMT 27 July 1998

Palestinian prisoner El-Khamisi dies five days after his release from Israeli prison

Around 7pm on July 26, 1998, Jamal El-Khamisi died, just 5 days after he was released on July 21, 1998, from the military hospital of Ramli prison, due to his deterioration in health. El-Khamisi was originally detained on September 25, 1989, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), who previously warned of the continued detention of El-Khamisi despite the deterioration of his health, condemns the practice of detaining sick prisoners and reaffirms the necessity of the immediate release of all of them. PCHR condemns the fact that Palestinian prisoners are often used as political bargaining chips.

PCHR holds the Israeli prison authority and medical administration responsible for the death of El-Khamisi due to their delay in diagnosing and treating him. This case raises deep concerns especially since it is the second case of death in just over one month. Detainee Yousef El-Ar’ear, from Gaza, died on June 21, 1998, as a result of medical negligence. PCHR asks for an independent international committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of both Yousef Al-Ar’ear and Jamal El-Khamisi. It also asks the international community to pressure Israel to immediately release all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, especially those who are ill, to discontinue its negligence in the case of Palestinian detainees and to cease using them as political bargaining chips which has harmful ramifications which leads to their mental and physical deterioration and is in violation of the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention and other relative instruments.

El-Khamisi died at El-Shiffa Hospital in Gaza five days after he was released from Israeli prison, as a result of the deterioration of his health. He was diagnosed as terminally ill and therefore the Israeli Minister of Internal Security sanctioned his release. However, his release was postponed by the process of receiving a permit and the consent of the Minister. PCHR had previously asked the UN Committee investigating Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights for its immediate intervention to ensure the release of El-Khamisi.