Ref: 100/2011

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
strongly condemns collective punishment measures being taken by the Israeli
prison authorities against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who have
organized a hunger strike in protest to their deteriorating detention
conditions. PCHR is also concerned over
the health conditions of the prisoners who have now been in an open hunger
strike for nine consecutive days, as the Israeli prison authorities have
refrained from providing medical care to them. PCHR calls upon the international community to exert pressure on Israel
and compel it to respect international law, including ending the systematic
cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli
prisons and detention centers. 

Palestinian and other Arab prisoners initiated
a hunger strike, which has progressively extended to all Israeli prisons and
detention facilities. First, prisoners
from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Rimon and
Nafha prison in Israel declared a hunger strike on 27 September 2011, demanding
an end to the solitary confinement of 20 prisoners, some of whom have served
more than 10 years in solitary confinement. They also demand an end to the three-year incommunicado detention of
PFLP Secretary General, Ahmed Sa’adat. Later, prisoners in other prisons and detention facilities joined and
organized a three day hunger strike. This move was expanded when prisoners declared an open hunger strike
until their demands were met. Their
demands include: ending the policy of solitary confinement; allowing graduate
education; allowing family visitation – especially for Gazan prisoners who have
been deprived of family visitation for more than five years; stopping the
imposition of financial fines; stopping raids and humiliating checks of
prisoners; refraining from tying the hands and feet of prisoners during family
visitations or meetings with lawyers; and improving the health conditions of
hundreds of sick prisoners and providing them with adequate medical care. 

However, the Israeli prison authorities have
refused to meet these demands and have escalated collective punishment measures
against prisoners. It has placed dozens
of prisoners in solitary confinement and transferred leaders of political
prisoners to sections of criminal prisoners, in an attempt to break the strike. Moreover, it has omitted to provide medical
care to prisoners, including old ones, have refrained from having medicines and
foods. According to prisoners, the
Israeli prison authorities have initiated a series of sanctions against
prisoners, including withholding salt, which prisoners take to maintain the
salt balance in their bodies, and electronic devices such as televisions after
they had already censored some Arab news channels. Additionally, Israeli troops waged a campaign
of raids and searches in detention cells, and used tear gas against
prisoners. A number of prisoners were
injured.

These latest punitive measures are part of a
series of measures that have been taken by the Israeli occupation authorities
as an effective translation of instructions given by the Israeli Prime Minister,
Benjamin Netanyahu, in late June 2011, asking the Israeli prison authorities to
limit “the privileges granted to Palestinian prisoners.” Since then, the Israeli prison authority has
taken a series of measures against prisoners, including intensifying naked
physical check of prisoners, and placing their leaders in incommunicado
detention. In response, the prisoners
have declared a series of protests against these measures and have organized a
number of hunger strikes.

At least 6,000 Palestinians are currently
detained in 22 Israeli prisons and detention facilities, most of which are
inside Israel, in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, particularly
Article 76, which stipulates that “Protected persons accused of offences shall
be detained in the occupied country, and if convicted they shall serve their
sentences therein.” These prisoners
include 700 persons from the Gaza Strip (including 6 who have been detained
according to the Illegitimate Combatant Code); 400 persons from Jerusalem and
Arab areas within Israel; 251 children; and 37 women. They also include 307 prisoners who were
arrested before the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, including 126 persons
who have served more than 20 years in prisons, 27 of whom have served more than
25 years in prison. Additionally, the
group includes 214 prisoners who have been placed under administrative
detention, and 20 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, most of them
from the Change and Reform Bloc affiliated to Hamas.

PCHR strongly condemns these collective
penalties and measures of intimidation, which are prohibited under
international law, particularly Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention,
and:

1- Calls upon the UN Special
Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or
Punishment to present reports on the situation to the Human Rights Council to
exert pressure on Israel to stop its practices against Palestinian prisoners.

2- Calls upon the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene to stop collective penalties
executed by the Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian prisoners.

3- Calls upon international human
rights organizations to follow up the issue of Palestinian prisoners and to
intervene with their governments to pressurize the Israel to stop arbitrary
measures against Palestinian prisoners and to ensure their release.