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| Human Rights |
| courtesy The Electronic Intifada |
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Vermonters
for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel |
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The
Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel and Others |
Prisoners Archive - February 2006
Actors at an Israeli court demonstrate Israel’s torture methods used against Palestinian detainees as described by witnesses. Source: Miftah
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Palestinian medic shot in head during Balata invasion now in Israeli hospital bed in hand cuffs with feet shackled Ma''an News 2/28/2006 Nablus (Ma''an) – With handcuffs tightened and his two feet bound in a hospital bed, and two Israeli guards hovering near, Ihab Hashim Mansour is trying to recover. He was one of the dozens injured during Israel''s major invasion of eastern Nablus'' Balata Refugee Camp last week. Mansour is a medic who was in the camp attempting to aid the injured and bring the dead to the hospital when Israeli soldiers opened fire on him and his crew on 23 February. A Prisoner Support Society lawyer, Said Yassin, visited the man and insisted he be untied while in his recovery bed, but Israeli soldiers replied that they had high orders not to unbind him, and therefore he remained as such, handcuffed and bound in an Israeli hospital bed. Female Palestinian political prisoner remains on hunger strike and is being treated poorly by guards and administration Ma''an News 2/28/2006 Bethlehem (Ma''an) - The Palestinian woman who went on hunger strike in Israeli prison is under a great deal of pressure by guards, as reported by lawyer Amed Khatib. The lawyer was able to visit Itaf Alian in Israel''s Ramle Prison near Tel Aviv after she was moved from Hasharon Prison on the first day of her hunger strike which began over a week ago on 20 February. Through attorney Khatib, Alian was able to talk about what is happening to her. She is facing a great deal of pressure by the Israeli authorities to end her hunger strike, but she refuses to do so. She said that she is facing harsh treatment at the hands of the Israeli prison guards and administration. PPS: Israeli prison adminstration trying to break will of prisoners by constant transfers and lack of medical care Ma''an News 2/28/2006 Tulkarem (Ma''an) - The Palestinian Prisoner Society representative in Tulkarem, Ziad Ghorab, said that the Israeli authorities are attempting to break the will of political prisoners by constantly moving them. That way no sense of normalcy can be developed, nor can sustainable friendships. Another method to break their will, according to the PPS, is by not giving them proper medical treatment when they are ill. These words were spoken with passion during the weekly sit-in at the northwestern West Bank''s Red Cross Building. Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament issued a call for the release of Palestinian political prisoners from Israeli jails Ma''an News 2/28/2006 Gaza (Ma''an) - Palestinian Prisoner Support Society is calling on the Arab Parliamentary Union to push for the release of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails. The number is hovering at 9,000 with pre-dawn arrest raids in the West Bank a nightly occurance. On Tuesday Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Ber''ry issued the call for their release. [end] US Afghan jail likened to Guantanamo AlJazeera 2/27/2006 A US prison in Afghanistan houses about 500 terror suspects indefinitely held without charges and in poorer conditions than the better known camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, The New York Times has reported. Pentagon officials have described the former machine shop at Bagram air base, 65km north of Kabul, as a screening centre, The Times said. "Bagram was never meant to be a long-term facility, and now it''s a long-term facility without the money or resources," an unnamed Pentagon official, who knows the facility and compared it to the one at Guantanamo, was quoted as saying. "Anyone who has been to Bagram would tell you it''s worse" than the Guantanamo prison, the official said. 2098 detainees imprisoned in 20 sections at the Negev detention facility International Middle East Media Center 2/28/2006 The Detainees Media Center reported on Monday that 2098 detainees are currently imprisoned in twenty sections, at the Negev detention facility. According to data collected by the center, 859 of the detainees are members of Fateh movement, 749 members of Hamas, 354 members of the Islamic Jihad, 114 members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and 22 members of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). 607 detainees are imprisoned under administrative detention orders without trial, among them 280 members of Hamas and 164 members of Fateh. The number of detainees who belong to the Islamic Jihad is 123, in addition to 39 detainees who are members of the PFLP and one member of the DFLP. Shiekh from Al Amal TV in Hebron still in prison without charge or trial: TV calls censorship Ma''an News 2/27/2006 Hebron (Ma''an) – The Israeli prison administration extended detention of Sheikh Abdul Fateh Abu Sobeih in Al Naqab [Negev] Prison. He was the head of a religious television program in Hebron. This is the sixth time the southern West Bank Sheikh''s sentence has been extended. All Amal Television employees denounced the extension and say he is imprisoned due to his ideas, and that the Israelis want nothing resembling freedom of speech amongst Palestinians. They call on the Israelis to immediately release him and call on human rights and media organizations to pressure them into doing so. The Sheikh has been imprisoned for 22 months without charge or trial as his Administrative Detention sentence just keeps getting renewed. Nine arrested in Assira Ashimaliya and Balata Palestine News Network 2/27/2006 In a military operation that began Monday at dawn, Israeli Forces arrested nine Palestinians in the town of Assira Ashimaliya and Balata Refugee Camp. Local sources in Assira said a large army force invaded the town and arrested eight men, all of them members of Palestinian Authority security services. The detainees were identified as Mohamed Youssef Yassin, Jamal Abdul Gabbar Yassin, Abed NaferYassin, Ammar Taysir Yassin, Shadi Rebhy Yassin, Mohamed Rebhy Yassin, Nafer Rebhy Yassin and Mohamed Sadek Shouli. In Balata near Nablus, Israeli forces arrested 19-year-old Gaber Abu Hamada after breaking into his house on Market Street. They also broke into the houses of the Snaqra and Abu Layl families in the camp. [end] Dichter: Zeevi''s killers in jail or in grave YNetNews 2/27/2006 Former Shin Bet head says minister''s killers will never enjoy freedom; voices support for IDF''s assassination policy -- Avi Dichter, former Shin Bet head and Kadima''s candidate for the position of defense minister, pledged Monday that the killers of Minister Rehavam Zeevi, who are currently jailed in the Palestinian Authority, will not enjoy freedom. Referring to reports a Hamas-led government may release Zeevi''s murderers, Dicter said: "I recommend to the Palestinian Authority not to release these men. I vow these killers will be either in prison or in the grave. There is no other option for them. " Speaking before high school students in Tel Aviv, Dichter also said, "Israel could have sent an F-16 plane to target the prison, but we don''t wish to harm innocent people. " Israeli Supreme Court bans use of Human Shields Palestine News Network 2/28/2006 On Thursday, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled it illegal for the Israeli army to use Palestinian civilians as “human shields”. Chief Justice of the Israeli Supreme Court, Aharon Barak issued his ruling in response to petitions filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Adalah, in its name and on behalf of ACRI, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, B’Tselem, The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, HaMoked, and other human rights organizations. Adalah filed the petition in May 2002 against the Commander of the Israeli Army in the West Bank; the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister. The organization argued that the army’s practices are in direct violation of international law. A mother''s visit to her son in Israeli prison: A masterpiece of despair Ma''an News 2/27/2006 Gaza (Ma''an)- The mother of the Palestinian political prisoner Rami Anber said Monday that since receiving permission from the Red Cross to visit her son, she began preparing her official papers and packing a parcel for him. She is one of the family members who demonstrate in front of the Red Cross Building in Gaza for his release. She told Ma''an that she will leave her house at 5:00 am and arrive home at 1:00 am for a 45-minute visit with her son Rami through glass in Israeli Nafha Prison. She will not arrive at home until the following dawn. Upon leaving her home at 5:00 am she waits for a bus in front of her house which transports other parents to a checkpoint where they go through investigation. Her belongings are searched and her identification is checked. Israeli military court extends sentence for elected member of government and PNN correspondent Ma''an News 2/27/2006 Qalqilia (Ma''an) – For the fourth time the Israeli military court in Salem postponed releasing three political prisoners from Qalqilia. The Ansar Al Sajin Committee reported that the court extended the imprisonment of Qalqilia''s elected member of the Municipality and the Palestine News Network''s Qalqilia correspondent Mustafa Sabri for another five days. He was arrested for being a member of the Hamas political party in the local government. The Israeli military court in Salem also extended the sentence of Iad Hamad for eight days and Ayman Taha for another eight days. Moreover, the court postponed sentencing for Behjet Yameen until 12 March. He was arrested over two years ago for Hamas membership and has yet to be sentenced. Damoun Prisoners Experience Harsh Circumstances WAFA 2/22/2006 TULKAREM, February 22, 2006 (WAFA)-Prisoners of Damoun Israeli jail are experiencing harsh circumstances due to Israel''s inhumane policies. Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said, according to letters received from detainees, that they are subjected to inhumane acts, searching the rooms nightly and preventing from visit and medical care. PPS revealed that Israeli jails authorities provide them food that not fit for human usage and they are denied from meeting their visitors. Damoun prisoners called on the international and human rights organizations to visit the jail to save the live of patients. Damoun Prisoners Experience Harsh Circumstances WAFA 2/22/2006 TULKAREM, February 22, 2006 (WAFA)-Prisoners of Damoun Israeli jail are experiencing harsh circumstances due to Israel''s inhumane policies. Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said, according to letters received from detainees, that they are subjected to inhumane acts, searching the rooms nightly and preventing from visit and medical care. PPS revealed that Israeli jails authorities provide them food that not fit for human usage and they are denied from meeting their visitors. Damoun prisoners called on the international and human rights organizations to visit the jail to save the live of patients. IOF Arrests 3 Citizens in WB WAFA 2/22/2006 HEBRON, February 22, 2006, (WAFA)-Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Wednesday three citizens in the West Bank (WB) cities of Hebron, Jenin and Tubas. In Hebron, Israeli soldiers stormed Namrah area, south of the city, launched a search campaign into number of houses and arrested two citizens. Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said that the number of detainees, in Hebron, reached to 60 citizens since the beginning of this month. IOF Arrests 3 Citizens in WB WAFA 2/22/2006 HEBRON, February 22, 2006, (WAFA)-Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Wednesday three citizens in the West Bank (WB) cities of Hebron, Jenin and Tubas. In Hebron, Israeli soldiers stormed Namrah area, south of the city, launched a search campaign into number of houses and arrested two citizens. Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said that the number of detainees, in Hebron, reached to 60 citizens since the beginning of this month. Imprisoned Fateh Resistance Leader makes statement to new Palestinian Parliament International Middle East Media Center 2/22/2006 Marwan Barghouthi, the Palestinian resistance leader currently in Israeli prison, made a statement to the opening session of the Palestinian Parliament Saturday, asking for Palestinian internal unity and reiterating the right to resist the illegal (by International Law) Israeli military and economic occupation of Palestine. His statement read: "The brothers and sisters in the Palestinian Legislative Council, May God keep you, the brothers and the sisters who represent both the nationalist and Islamic powers. Imprisoned Fateh Resistance Leader makes statement to new Palestinian Parliament International Middle East Media Center 2/22/2006 Marwan Barghouthi, the Palestinian resistance leader currently in Israeli prison, made a statement to the opening session of the Palestinian Parliament Saturday, asking for Palestinian internal unity and reiterating the right to resist the illegal (by International Law) Israeli military and economic occupation of Palestine. His statement read: "The brothers and sisters in the Palestinian Legislative Council, May God keep you, the brothers and the sisters who represent both the nationalist and Islamic powers. Palestinian Legislators Sworn In; Israel prevents elected Gaza Legislators from Participating International Middle East Media Center 2/18/2006 Israel steps up closure; prevents legislators from participating in Palestinian Parliament -- The Palestinian Parliament held its swearing-in ceremony Saturday morning, but due to the Israeli closure, lawmakers from the Gaza Strip were unable to travel to Ramallah (in the West Bank) to participate. Instead, the Palestinian legislature, in a time of financial crisis due to European and US funding withdrawal, was forced to utilize high-tech video-conferencing equipment and hold two separate sessions - one in the West Bank, and one in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza session opened by reading the names of the 16 absent members -- three of whom are on Israel''s "wanted" list and the others are in Israeli prisons. Prisoners in Jericho protest by setting their clothes on fire, seven suffer smoke inhalation International Middle East Media Center 2/21/2006 Seven Palestinian political prisoners in the Palestinian Jericho Prison suffered from smoke inhalation after setting clothes and sheets on fire in protest to their continued imprisonment. A detainee known as Abu Aqsa said that inhaled smoke after several detainees set the clothes on fire in a section that contains 17 prisoners. He added that the detainees refused to receive medical treatment or to go to the hospital in order to place pressure on the Palestinian Authority to release them. Eight Palestinian prisoners injured after setting fire in PA prison Ha''aretz 2/21/2006 Eight Palestinian prisoners were injured on Tuesday after setting fire to their mattresses in a Palestinian prison in the West Bank, in a demand that they be released, security sources said. Palestinian security sources said the prisoners were among about 20 of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas''s Fatah movement, who were being held at the jail in the West Bank town of Jericho. Most were arrested by Palestinian officials about two months ago on suspicion of involvement in violence, but never charged. Mofaz warns PA not to release Rehavam Zeevi''s assassins Ha''aretz 2/21/2006 Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on Monday threatened to take severe steps against the Palestinian Authority if the assassins of former minister Rehavam Zeevi and the Palestinian financial strongman Fuad Shubaki are released from their Jericho prison. Mofaz issued the statement as Hamas seemed set to reach an agreement with the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) over the release of the men. "The release of Shubaki and Zeevi''s murderers will entail severe Israeli response," Mofaz said. "This is a blatant violation of the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and we will not let this pass. " PFLP: Willing to join Hamas government YNetNews 2/20/2006 Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced Monday that in principle they are willing to join a Hamas-led government. The announcement was made following a meeting between Hamas and PFLP representatives. Hamas decided to hold its first meeting in an effort to form the new government with the PFLP, which won three seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council.... During Monday''s meeting, Hamas and PFLP representatives discussed the subject of arrests, and especially the detainment of PFLP Secretary-General Ahmed Saadat, jailed in a Jericho prison alongside the masterminds of the murder of Minister Rahavam Ze''evi. David Irving gets three years in jail for Holocaust denial Ha''aretz 2/21/2006 VIENNA - Right-wing British historian David Irving was convicted in Austria on Monday of denying the Holocaust - a crime in this country once run by the Nazis - and was sentenced to three years in prison. Irving, 67, who had pleaded guilty and insisted during his one-day trial that he had a change of heart and now acknowledged the Nazis'' World War II slaughter of 6 million Jews, had faced up to 10 years behind bars for the offense. "The court did not consider the defendant to have genuinely changed his mind," presiding judge Peter Liebetreu told the court after pronouncing the sentence. "The regret he showed was considered to be mere lip service to the law. " Imprisoned legislator asks to participate in Parliament through video conference International Middle East Media Center 2/17/2006 Ahmad Saaadat, Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, newly elected member of the Palestinian Parliament, currently imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority, said that he shouldto be allowed to participate in the Palestinian Parliament, whose session opens Saturday, through a Video conference system. Saadat also said that the Palestinian Authority should release the 13 elected legislators who are currently in prison; and until they are released, to find a way to enable them to participate in the sessions. He indicated that as long as he is imprisoned, he should be provided with video conferencing capabilities, as is currently being planned for Gaza legislators who are unable to enter the West Bank for the legislative session. [end] Annan Says U.S. Should Close Gitmo Prison The Guardian 2/17/2006 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday said the United States should close the prison at Guantanamo Bay for terror suspects as soon as possible, backing a key conclusion of a U. N. -appointed independent panel. White House spokesman Scott McClellan rejected the call to shut the camp, saying the military treats all detainees humanely and ``these are dangerous terrorists that we''re talking about. ''''The panel''s report, released Thursday in Geneva, said the United States must close the detention facility ``without further delay'''' because it is effectively a torture camp where prisoners have no access to justice. Mohammad Mansour targeted for standing against the occupation By Harry, International Solidarity Movement 2/15/2006 I’ve been working with Mohammad Mansour a Palestinian activist in the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) since I started work here a month ago. He is to face a trial tomorrow. If found guilty he could go to jail and quite possibly be tortured. What is his crime? He is an organiser in the non-violent resistance. He was charged with assaulting a soldier, throwing stones and encouraging kids to throw stones. But there is no evidence of this. He was at a demonstration with soldiers filming everything and taking high resolution photographs yet they have no evidence of this. After five years in detention, Blind prisoner released International Middle East Media Center 2/14/2006 Israeli army released Eiz Addin Amarneh, 34, on Tuesday after servingfive years of imprisonment. Troops arrested Amarneh, who is blind, after claiming that he planned two suicide bombings in Israel. Amarneh said that Israeli prisons authority repeatdly transferred him to several prisons. He also said that during his five years in detention, he was tortured on multiple occasions and was listed as a "threat to the Israeli security". [end] Israeli forces arrest 47 year old member of Security forces in Hebron Ma''an News 2/14/2006 Hebron (Ma''an) – Israeli forces arrested 47 year old Mohammad Imam, a member of the Palestinian Security forces in Hebron. According to the Prisoners'' Media Center, Israeli forces broke into Imam''s home at approximately 2:00 am Tuesday morning and took him to an unknown location. Imam spent eight years in Israeli prison and was released just eight months ago. [end] Omri Sharon gets nine months in prison and NIS 300,000 fine Ha''aretz 2/15/2006 The Tel Aviv Magistrate''s Court yesterday sentenced former MK Omri Sharon to nine months in prison plus a NIS 300,000 fine for raising illegal campaign contributions for his father, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. His friend Gabi Manor, who was convicted along with him, received a nine-month suspended sentence and a NIS 50,000 fine. The stiff sentence surprised prosecutors and defense attorneys alike, and the latter immediately said that they plan to appeal it. To give them time to do so, and even more because of the elder Sharon''s serious medical condition, Judge Edna Bekenstein deferred implementation of the sentence until September 1. Detainees in Shatta appeal for better conditions International Middle East Media Center 2/14/2006 Palestinian detainees in Shatta detention facility in Bissan appealed humanitarian organizations to pressure the Israeli Prison Authorities to improve their living conditions, and stop the daily attacks and abuse they are subjected to. The detainees reported that soldiers repeatedly attacked the detainees, subjected them to naked body searches in addition to cutting the water sources and barring them from the “break” in which they are allowed to leave their rooms for a short period of time. Also, Prison Administration repeatedly imposed high fines on the detainees without any proper reason or explanation. Politicians slam Kadima in wake of Omri Sharon''s sentence Ha''aretz 2/14/2006 News of Omri Sharon''s nine-month prison sentence was quickly seized by politicians on Tuesday to lambaste the Kadima party which his father, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, formed last year. "Omri Sharon is among Kadima''s founders and is its operation officer. This is a party which epitomizes corrupt links between wealth and government," said Labor''s Shelly Yachimovich, who heads the party''s anti-corruption committee. "Omri Sharon''s conviction hides large corruption affairs, such as the Greek island, the Cyril Kern affair and the Martin Schlaff affair," she said, referring to corruption cases which were allegedly linked the Sharon family. UN report calls for closure of Guantánamo The Guardian 2/14/2006 Prison breaks conventions on torture, say envoys· Violent force-feeding of hunger strikers criticised -- A UN inquiry into conditions at Guantánamo Bay has called on Washington to shut down the prison, and says treatment of detainees in some cases amounts to torture, UN officials said yesterday. The report also disputes the Bush administration''s legal arguments for the prison, which was sited at the navy base in Cuba with the purpose of remaining outside the purview of the US courts, and says there has been insufficient legal process to decide whether detainees continued to pose a threat to the US. Military court sentences five Palestinians International Middle East Media Center 2/13/2006 The Israeli military court of Salem sentenced two Palestinians to prison terms and gave extended ''administrative detention'' orders to three others on Monday morning. Ahmed Dalow was sentenced to three years and a NIS 3,000 fine while Motasim Radwan from the West Bank city of Qalqilia to 20 months and a NIS 2,000 as a fine. The Israeli Court would not reveal the mens'' charges. Also the court extended the administrative detention of Hammam Al Shobki for the fourth time, while extended it for the third time for Bahaa Samara and Yahya Budra. [end] Detainees in Hasharon detention facility facing harsh treatment International Middle East Media Center 2/13/2006 The Palestine News Network reported that the prison administration in Hasharon Israeli detention facility have carried out repeated attacks against the Palestinian detainees, and recently broke into their cells. On Sunday, soldiers broke into several sections in the detention facility, searched the cells of the detainees and placed three detainees to solitary confinement. Soldiers used military dogs to search the rooms after forcing the detainees to gather in the prison yard. During the search, soldiers ripped several books after claiming that the books were considered incitement material. Call to Release Sick Prisoner from Hebron WAFA 2/13/2006 HEBRON, February 13, 2006 (WAFA)- Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) called on Monday the international and local human rights organizations to pressurize the Israeli authorities to release a sick prisoner from the West Bank (WB) city of Hebron. PPS told WAFA that Mubarak Zyadat 26, from Bani Naeem town, east of Hebron, is in a critical condition as he subjected to torture since he was arrested last January. It added that Zyadat was taken several times to Hadasa Hospital as he fell unconscious. [end] UN report damns Guantanamo jail AlJazeera 2/14/2006 An investigation into the prison at Guantanamo Bay says the US committed acts amounting to torture, including force-feeding and prolonged periods of solitary confinement. The report by five human rights experts from the UN accused the US of violating the detainees'' rights to a fair trial, to freedom of religion and to health. It recommended that the US close the detention centre and revoke all special interrogation techniques authorised by the US Department of Defence. The draft report said: "The apparent attempts by the US administration to reinterpret certain interrogation techniques as not reaching the threshold of torture in the framework of the struggle against terrorism are of utmost concern. " Palestinian militants free Kidnapped Egyptian diplomat Ha''aretz 2/11/2006 An Egyptian diplomat kidnapped earlier this week by gunmen in Gaza was released unharmed on Saturday, an Egyptian official in Gaza said. "He''s released and unharmed," an Egyptian official in Gaza said, but declined further comment. The crisis began on Friday, when a previously unknown Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the abduction of an Egyptian diplomat in the Gaza Strip, the Al-Jazeera satellite channel reported. In a report from its Gaza office, Al-Jazeera said it received a statement from a group calling itself the Al Ahrar Brigades. The group, whose name means "the liberated people" in Arabic, said it was demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Egypt. Prisoner preaches against Muhammad cartoons YNetNews 2/10/2006 Hamas member imprisoned for establishment of terror cell tells fellow inmates ‘Muslims must unite against the western countries’ -- A security prisoner at the Megiddo Prison preached against the Muhammad cartoons and was sent to solitary confinement. Hamas member Basel Khaled Duikat, who is serving seven years for illegal assembly and setting up a terror cell, delivered his usual post Friday prayer session sermon, during which he proceeded to talk of the Muhammad cartons posted in European newspapers, saying “the entire western world has united against Islam, adding that in response the Muslims must unite against the western countries, including Russia, Denmark and the U.S. , and ban products such as western music and films. " Pollard appeals to Supreme Court YNetNews 2/10/2006 Lawyers for Pollard ask U.S. Supreme Court to reopen case in appeal against life sentence -- Lawyers for Jonathan Pollard, sentenced to life in prison as a spy for Israel, have asked the Supreme Court to reopen his case. Pollard is in the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina for selling military secrets to Israel while he worked at theDefense Department''s Pentagon headquarters. A prison Web site says his projected release date under federal sentencing guidelines is Nov. 21, 2015. He was arrested in 1985 and convicted in 1987. Egyptian diplomat seized in Gaza BBC 2/9/2006 An Egyptian diplomat has been abducted by Palestinian gunmen in Gaza City, reports say. According to the reports, the diplomat was on his way to his office when masked gunmen surrounded his car and forced him into another vehicle. Foreigners are frequently kidnapped by gunmen in Gaza, a mark of the area''s instability and lawlessness. Generally, the hostages are held for a short time to press the authorities for money, jobs or prisoner releases. The Egyptian representative''s office in Gaza identified the diplomat as Hussam al-Mawsili, who serves as military attache. IOF Arrests 19 Citizens in WB WAFA 2/9/2006 HEBRON, February 9, 2006 (WAFA)- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Thursday nineteen citizens in the West Bank(WB) cities of Hebron and Qalqiliya. The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) told WAFA that Israeli soldiers stormed the villages of Beit Ommar and Yatta, south and west Hebron, and arrested thirteen citizens. WAFA reporter said that Israeli soldiers, backed by twenty military vehicles, thrust into Qalqilya city, launched a house-to-house search campaign, besieged the citizens'' houses and arrested five citizens. South Bethlehem, in the village of al-Khader, IOF beaten up Ahmed Ibrahim 20, and arrested him. He suffered from severe bruises. [end] Force-feeding breaks protest at Guantánamo The Guardian 2/10/2006 Lawyers say abuse has left only four on hunger strike· Pentagon denies policy of punishing detainees -- The Pentagon faced a groundswell of protest about its treatment of detainees at Guantánamo yesterday after it emerged that a hunger strike had been broken by force-feeding inmates and putting them in restraints. Five months after inmates at Guantánamo began the strike to protest against their indefinite detention at the US naval base only four remain on hunger strike. Three of those are being force-fed with tubes through the nose, a Pentagon spokesman said. Resident sentenced to 30 years International Middle East Media Center 2/8/2006 Wednesday, An Israeli military court sentenced a resident of Yabod village near the West Bank city of Jenin, to thirty consecutive years. The Israeli prosecution claimed that resident Mustafa Badarna, 44, member of the Democratic Front for the liberation of Palestine, planned a shooting attack which was carried against a settlement bus in December 2001. Both Badarna, and another detainee who was sentenced to 30 years, were charged of members in an illegal organization, conducting military training, obtaining illegal weapons, encouraging other residents to carry attack, and conspiring to kill settlers. [end] Detainees Suffer Harsh Conditions in Israeli Jail WAFA 2/7/2006 HEBRON, February7, 2006 (WAFA)-Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) revealed on Tuesday that the detainees at the Israeli prison Gush Etsion are suffering bad conditions and medical negligence. In a statement faxed to WAFA, PPS said that the prisoner Mubarak Zeedat 30, who was arrested two weeks ago from Bani Naim town, east of Hebron, is in a critical condition. The PPS added that also the prisoner Youssef Kazzaz from Dora town, west of Hebron, suffers of wounds in the hand but no treatment offered to him, and the prisoner, Mahmoud Al-Haroush 53, of Yata town, west the Hebron suffers of cancer and kidney failure. [end] Diskin: Shin Bet treats Jewish terror suspects less harshly Ha''aretz 2/7/2006 Shin Bet security services show more leniency toward Jewish terror suspects than toward Israeli Arab or Palestinian suspects, the services chief, Yuval Diskin, was taped as saying on Monday. "If I had arrested a terrorist from Nablus and Eden Nathan Zada," Diskin said, referring to the Jewish terrorist who gunned down four Israeli Arabs last August in a bid to hamper the Gaza disengagement, "they wouldn''t have received similar treatment in interrogation or court. ""A Jewish detainee and one from [the Israeli-Arab town of] Umm al-Fahm, would not be treated equally by the judicial system," Channel 10 news quoted the Shin Bet chief as telling a group of teenagers in the West Bank settlement of Eli. Open Letter to Ehud Olmert International Solidarity Movement 2/7/2006 Dear Deputy Prime Minister, On last Thursday corresponding to 2/2/2006, the Israeli security forces arrested the Italian citizen Al Abed Mohammad, after he and his companion, Mr. Paraccino Danielle, were held for nine consecutive hours at Allenby Bridge. Both detainees were interrogated, subjected to humiliating naked search and their mobile phones were seized. Later on, Mr. Danielle was freed and informed that he was forbidden from any future visits to the Palestinian lands. Mr. Al Abed was led to the interrogation centre that belongs to the Shabak system in Petah Tiqwa in Tel Aviv. Interpol Hunting Ten Palestinians Accused of Corruption Palestine Media Center 2/6/2006 Influential People in Senior PNA Positions Involved in 50 Corruption Cases -- Palestinian attorney general Ahmed Al-Meghani told reporters on Sunday that a corruption investigation involving a multi-million dollar scandal has concluded that senior officials of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) may have stolen $700 million of public funds, adding he has made 25 arrests so far and issued international warrants for 10 other people, whom the PNA is seeking their extradition by the INTERPOL. Some of the fugitives were arrested and now in his custody in Palestinian prisons, said Al-Meghani. “We are proceeding with other procedures in this regard in accordance with the Riyadh Arab agreement for judicial cooperation in 1983,” he added. Israeli army enters Deir Istiya and arrests one resident International Womens'' Peace Service 2/4/2006 Place: Deir Istiya, Salfit district - Witness/es: IWPS volunteers - Description of Incident: At approximately 2 a. m. on January 31, 2006, 3 jeeps and about 30 soldiers entered the village of Deir Istiya. Two soldiers with dark face paint knocked on the door of the home of a resident, demanding to enter the house to inspect the premises. They asked the brother of the detainee to stand outdoors. The rest of the family was made to stay in one corner of the home while the army searched the house. Afterwards, according to the detainee’s brother, an army detective or secret service agent said he was taking the detainee, 30, a teacher and member of the village government, outside to ask a few questions, and drove away with the detainee in the vehicle at 2:30 a. m. There has been no information about the detainee’s location. [end] Detainees Harshly Treated in Salem Court WAFA 2/1/2006 QALQILIA, February 1, 2006, (WAFA) -The detained member of Qalqiliya Municipality Mustafa Sabry said Wednesday that he and other detainees were harshly treated on their way to Israeli Military Court of Salem in Jenin City. He added that they were transferred in a personnel carrier Sunday into Salem Court blindfolded and handcuffed for about 12 hours till the start of the court hearing. Sabry was sentenced to 15 days under arrest with no trial. Sabry told his lawyer that the guards of the personnel carrier did not let them go to a bathroom or to get food, even the sick detainees were denied medicine access. [end] |
A disturbing phenomenon – Children heading for Israeli military installations with knives Ma''an News 2/22/2006 Bethlehem (Ma''an) - A disturbing phenomenon noticeable during the month of February relates to the reason of Israeli arrests of young Palestinians. The largest numbers of those detained in this age group were not arrested from their homes. Instead the young people are being taken from areas in or near Israeli checkpoints and military installations on accusations of possession of knives or of throwing homemade explosives, stones or a Molotov cocktail. And in a message related to the Ma''an News Agency, the Palestinian Prisoner Society reported that the number of detainees in Bethlehem throughout the past three weeks has reached 70. And what was surprising is that 40 among them are children ranging in age from 14 to 18. The Prisoner Society in Nablus reported to Ma''an that the number of arrestees there during the same time period has reached 50. And the same trend was noticed: the majority of them are young boys taken from similar places for similar reasons. A Prisoner Society lawyer from Jerusalem, Mahmoun Al Hashim, commented on the recent phenomenon by saying, "What a dangerous, sad and disturbing situation. The number of arrests of young boys is noticeably increasing. The motives seem in sense unconscious, as if they realize the terrible fate that awaits them inside Israeli prisons." The lawyer added that a group of boys who age did not exceed 14, burst into tears when I entered for my visit. One said simply, "I want my father." And the stories of these children are summarized as such: they carry knives and head for a barrier to the Israeli army and when they approach the soldiers they throw their knives onto the ground so that they are easily apprehended. They are not attempting escape.
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Adalah Adalah (Justice in Arabic) is the first non-profit, non-sectarian Palestinian-run legal center in Israel. The main goal of Adalah’s work is to achieve equal rights and minority rights protections for Palestinian citizens of Israel. Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Organization: Addameer (conscience) is a Palestinian non-governmental, civil institution which focuses on human rights issues. Supports Palestinian prisoners, advocates for rights of political prisoners, works to end torture. Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. AI’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Amnesty International USA Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights. AI’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Arab Association for Human Rights - HRA The HRA was founded in 1988 to promote and protect the political, civil, economic, and cultural rights of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel and to further the domestic implementation of international human rights principles. It is an independent non-governmental organisation registered in Israel. Association for Civil Rights in Israel - ACRI The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) was founded in 1972 as a non-political and independent body, with the goal of protecting human and civil rights in Israel and in the territories under Israeli control. B’tselem The Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. Occupation Prisoners News stories and reports about Palestinian prisoners from International Press Center, of the Palestinian National Authority’s State Information Service. Palestinian Centre for Human Rights The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) is an independent legal body based in Gaza City dedicated to protecting human rights, promoting the rule of law, and upholding democratic principles in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian Prisoners Society The Palestinian Prisoner Society is a social and human institution and its members are prisoners inside prisons and released prisoners. Membership is open to every Palestinian prisoner inside and outside prisons who meets the conditions of membership. Physicians for Human Rights - Israel Physicians for Human Rights - Israel (PHR-Israel) was established in 1988 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, dedicated to promoting and protecting the medical human rights of all residents of Israel and the Occupied Territories. Public Committee Against Torture in Israel - PCATI An independent human rights organization founded that monitors the implementation conditions in detention centers and continues the struggle against the use of torture in interrogation in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine The main collection contains the texts of current and historical United Nations material concerning the question of Palestine and other issues related to the Middle East situation and the search for peace. World Organisation Against Torture OMCT is today the largest international coalition of NGOs fighting against torture,summary executions, forced disappearances and all other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in order to preserve Human Rights. It has at its disposal a network, SOS Torture, consisting of some 240 non-governmental organisations which act as sources of information. |
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