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| Palestine Diaries |
| courtesy The Electronic Intifada |
| Human Rights |
| courtesy The Electronic Intifada |
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Vermonters
for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel |
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| Prisoners index page |
The
Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel and Others
Prisoners Archive - November 2005
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President: Israeli Practices against Prisoners Inhuman WAFA 11/30/2005 RAMALLAH, November 30, 2005, (WAFA)- President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday described the Israeli practices against the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails as "inhuman". Commenting on the Israeli attacks against prisoners in Ofer Prison, near Ramallah, yesterday, Abbas told WAFA that such practices prove that Israel continues the policy of humiliating against Palestinian prisoners. "With deep sorrow, we see that these procedures are inhuman," he said. Protest in Gaza in support to Ofer detainees International Middle East Media Center 11/30/2005 The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine organized a protest, on Wednesday, in front of the Red Cross in Gaza city in support for the detainees in Ofer Israeli detention facility. Representatives of the Palestinian factions, parents of the detainees and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council participated in the protest and chanted slogans in support to the detainees, and against the Israeli policies and violations in its detention facilities. Al Aqsa, Salah Ed Deen Brigades, fire shell Native Ahsra settlement International Middle East Media Center 11/30/2005 The Al Aqsa Brigades, the military wing of Fateh, and Salah Ed Deen Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, fired on Wednesday evening, several homemade shells at Native Ahsra settlement, north of the Gaza Strip. The two brigades reported that the firing of the shells comes in retaliation to the Israeli procedures against the detainees in Ofer detention facility, and the attack carried out by the soldiers against the detainees there. Joint Police, IDF, and Settler Campaign to Remove Human Rights Workers from Tel Rumeida, Hebron International Solidarity Movement 11/30/2005 From the moment the first international presence of Human Rights Worker’s (HRW’s) came to live in Tel Rumeida, Hebron, in August, 2005, to support Palestinians against settler violence, the IDF, police and settlers in Tel Rumeida have used whatever means, legal or otherwise, to prevent their work from continuing. Now Andrew Mcdonalnd, one of the main long term organizers of the work in Tel Rumeida is awaiting deportation at Abu Kabir Prison. Israeli Prison Administration Attacks Palestinian Detainees in Ofer Jail International Press Center 11/29/2005 GAZA, November 29, 2005 (IPC + Agencies) - - Israeli prison administration fired tear and sonic bombs at prisoners in Ofer jail and wounded more than 25 with suffocation and serious injuries. Special sources revealed that the prisons'' administration attacked prisoners by batons and trained water, sonic and tear bombs at them. The sources added that large numbers of Israeli shock troopers assaulted the second section of Ofer prison and attacked prisoners cruelly. IOF Arrests 4 Citizens in Hebron WAFA 11/29/2005 HEBRON, November 29, 2005 (WAFA) - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Tuesday four citizens in West Bank (WB) city of Hebron, Palestinian prisoners society (PPS) said. It added that IOF launched a door-to-door search campaign and broke into two houses, arresting four citizens, leading them into an unknown fate. Local sources in the city said that IOF stormed a building in west of Hebron and turned a flat into military post. The sources added that the Israeli soldiers broke into a house and seized its residents, preventing them from leaving. [end] Tens of Prisoners Wounded in Ofer Jail WAFA 11/29/2005 RAMALLAH, November 29, 2005 (WAFA) - Tens of Palestinian prisoners wounded Tuesday when Israeli soldiers brutally attacked them in Ofer jail. Palestinian Prisoners'' Media Center revealed that an Israeli special unit broke the prison and fired tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at them while they were peacefully protesting against the Israeli decision to transfer a number of prisoners, including Abdul Raheem Mallooh, Deputy Secretary General of PFLP the who was wounded, to another prison. Abbas Condemns Assault on Ofer Prison WAFA 11/29/2005 RAMALLAH, November 29, 2005 (WAFA) - President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Tuesday the Israeli assault on Palestinian prisoners in Ofer detention camp, west of Ramallah. "I condemn the brutal assault on the Palestinian prisoners, specially Abdul-Rahim Mallouh, the jailed member of the PLO Executive Committee Abdul Raheem Mallooh Deputy Secretary General of PFLP, whose lower jaw was broken due to beating," said Abbas "this is a flagrant violation of the international law and we held Israel responsible for the consequences of this attack." Palestinian youths put lives on line with checkpoint arrests Daily Star 11/30/2005 NABLUS, West Bank: Pushed to despair, Palestinian children are putting their lives on the line by feigning attacks on Israeli checkpoints in the occupied West Bank in the hope they will end up in prison. Announcements by the Israeli occupation army that a youngster has been arrested at the Hawarra checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Nablus, with explosive material have become increasingly frequent...it often emerges that the real motive of many of the youngsters is not to cause carnage but rather to earn themselves a spell behind bars which they believe could net their family much-needed cash. Hezbollah says has right and duty to abduct Israeli troops Ha''aretz 11/26/2005 Lebanon''s Hezbollah militant group said on Friday it had a duty to try to capture Israeli soldiers and exchange them for Arab prisoners in Israel, only hours after Israel returned the remains of three militants. "Our experience with the Israelis shows that if you want to regain detainees or prisoners ... you have to capture Israeli soldiers," Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told a rally in Beirut to mark the handover of the bodies. Security court sentences a Palestinian lawmaker to 7 years in prison Ha''aretz 11/27/2005 A security court on Sunday sentenced a Palestinian lawmaker to seven years in prison for links to a militant group and failure to report a planned attack on civilians, an Israel Defense Forces official said. Husam Khader, a member of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas''s Fatah faction, was arrested by IDF troops in 2003. Khader was the most senior Palestinian official to be tried by Israel since a Tel Aviv court jailed Fatah lawmaker Marwan Barghouthi for five life terms last year in connection with gun ambushes and a suicide bombing. Barghouthi, an icon for young Palestinians, denied the charges. Leviev promises to treat his prisoners nicely Ha''aretz 11/29/2005 Ostensibly, the idea behind the process of privatization, in which it was recently decided that a group of companies headed by tycoon Lev Leviev will build and operate a private prison, is no different from the idea behind the processes that during the past decade have led to privatization in the Employment Service, the seaports and the national airline.But this is different. Shin Bet: Hamas charity network funded terror activities in Jenin Ha''aretz 11/28/2005 The Shin Bet security service and the police reported yesterday that they have discovered an organizational network run by Hamas, which collects charitable donations in Europe and North America, and uses the money to fund terror activities in the West Bank city of Jenin. Indeed Ahmed Saltana from Jenin was indicted yesterday in the Samaria military court on suspicion of using money to finance terror activities, sending money to terrorists'' families and supplying funding for Hamas militants and prisoners. Buy yourself a prison By Avirama Golan, Ha''aretz 11/29/2005 On October 10, when the High Court of Justice first heard a petition against the privatization of the prisons, and gave the state two months to argue why it is giving a private body distinctly state powers (including the use of force, searches of prisoners and their visitors, denying furloughs, and the like), the state argued that the privatization bill had already been passed into law, the tender had been issued, and that it had even found a customer for the franchise - Lev Leviev of Africa-Israel. Vanunu speaks about his November 18th arrest Electronic Intifada 11/26/2005 Mordechai Vanunu, often dubbed the "Israeli nuclear whistle-blower," was arrested on Friday 18th November for traveling to the East Jerusalem suburb al-Ram. Vanunu, 51, was released on the following day and returned to his de facto house arrest at St. George''s Cathedral in Jerusalem, where he has sought refuge since being released from his 18-year detention and torture under Israeli authorities. --"Last Friday, the Israeli authorities abused their power yet again to arrest me. Although I remained in prison for only two days, I was visited by the cruel memories of my 18 years in isolation..." Barghouti wins Fatah primaries YNetNews 11/26/2005 West Bank Tanzim leader, jailed in Israel after being captured by IDF in 2002, wins Ramallah region primaries with 96 percent of vote, may win top spot on Fatah list ahead of general elections; Foreign Minister Shalom says Barghouti will never be released -- Marwan Barghouti, the Tanzim leader jailed in Israel, scored an impressive victory in the Fatah’s Ramallah region primaries, winning 96 percent of the vote and beating out 44 other candidates. In response, Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin called Saturday for Barghouti to be released from prison. Interview - Barghouti''s wife: He’s your peace partner YNetNews 11/27/2005 Fadwa Barghouti, wife of Tanzim leader jailed in Israel, encouraged by his victory in Fatah primaries, says it constitutes ''message for Israelis that if you want to negotiate with Palestinian people, turn to Marwan Barghouti, prisoners'' -- Following the victory of Marwan Barghouti, the West Bank Tanzim leader jailed in Israel, in the Fatah’s Ramallah region primaries, his wife Fadwa tells Ynet that he has conveyed a message to Israel that the Palestinian people support him and acknowledge his leadership. EU threat to countries with secret CIA prisons The Guardian 11/29/2005 Poland and Romania under investigation · Germany fears it was hub for ''rendition'' flights-- The European Union''s top justice official warned yesterday that any EU country found to have operated secret CIA prisons could lose its EU voting rights. In a move that increases pressure on the US to explain the activities of the CIA, the EU justice and home affairs commissioner, Franco Frattini, said there would be "serious consequences" if reports of CIA jails in Europe turned out to be true. Israeli High Court looks into a plea of Releasing all the Gazian Prisoners International Press Center 11/22/2005 GAZA, Palestine, November 22 (IPC + Agencies) - -The Israeli High Court (IHC) held a session yesterday to look into a plea was entered by the Arab movement in the green line. The plea implies that the Gazian prisoner should have been released for the Israeli occupation withdrew from Gaza. Their vindications in this regard relied on Geneva Convention which tells transparently that once an occupation is over; all prisoners who belong to the liberated country are to be transferred to be under the responsibility of the ruling government. Palestinian Prisoners Subjected to Torture in Israeli Jails International Press Center 11/22/2005 GAZA, Palestine, November 22, 2005, (IPC + Agencies) -- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) escalated their repressive and cruel violations against the Palestinian prisoners in the jails. Prisoners in Mageddow jail asserted that they are suffering from bad conditions because the prison''s administration continues to treat them harshly and prevent them from having the most important living necessities, such as food, particularly bread. Lawyer of Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported that the Palestinian detainees in Hawara Prison will begin open hunger-strike because of the Israeli bad treatment. Israeli Prison Service Leads Prisoner to Unknown Place International Press Center 11/23/2005 WEST BANK, Palestine, November 23, 2005 (IPC + WAFA) - - The Israeli Prison Service (IPS) led the prisoner Sheikh Sherif Tahaina, from Seala Town close to Jenin City, and commander of Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, from his prison cell to an unknown place. Local sources reported that...he was severely beaten up and subjected to torture by Israeli interrogators....Meanwhile, the attorney working for Mandela Institute for Human Rights, Bothaina Duqmaq, informed the coordinator of prisoners'' affairs in the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Marc Beresford, about the prisoners'' bad conditions in the Israeli concentration camps. Gaza to reopen window to outside world ReliefWeb 11/23/2005 RAFAH, Gaza Strip, Nov 23 (AFP) - Nearly three months after the departure of Israeli troops, the Gaza Strip reopens to the world on Friday when the Rafah crossing into Egypt resumes operations under Palestinian control. The reopening of the terminal at a ceremony presided over by Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas will help allay fears of the 1.3 million population that Gaza was being transformed into a "giant prison" after a 38-year Israeli occupation. 20% of Palestinians Faced Israeli Arrests Islam Online 11/20/2005 LONDON, November 19, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Israeli occupation forces have arrested one-fifth of the Palestinians in the occupied territories or 650,000 people since the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, a report by the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees and the Released Prisoners showed Friday, November 18. The report, a copy of which was obtained by the London-based Al-Quds Press news agency, put at 8,800 the number of Palestinians who are still being kept at 28 Israeli jails. It said that the number is on the rise as 2,500 Palestinians have been arrested since last February. IOF Arrests 3 Citizens in Hebron WAFA 11/20/2005 HEBRON, November 20, 2005, (WAFA)- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested Sunday three citizens and ruled against three others, sources said. In the city of Hebron, Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said that Israeli soldiers swept into the city, and launched a search campaign, arresting three citizens. 21 year old Palestinian tortured in IOF jail International Solidarity Movement 11/20/2005 On Friday the 18th of November at 15:00, the IOF released 21 year old Hamza Samara from custody on a 10,000 NIS bail. ISM would like to thank all of you who donated money to the ISM Palestine Legal Fund, making Hamza’s release possible. During 25 days in jail, Hamza was subjected to torture and insults on several occasions. Hamza was arrested at 02:00 in the morning on the 24th of October 2005. PPS: Prisoners Subjected Torture during investigation in Salem Prison WAFA 11/21/2005 TUBAS, November 21, 2005, (WAFA)- Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) revealed Monday that the Palestinian detainees in Israeli Salem Prison are severely beaten up and tortured by Israeli investigators during the investigation. The lawyer of PPS said that he listened to testimonies from prisoners of subjecting to beating and torturing. Ala Abu ar-Rub,17, resident of Jenin city , said that Israeli soldiers arrested him in November 1, without any investigation. HR Organization Calls for Releasing HR Fieldworker Held under Administrative Detention WAFA 11/21/2005 GENEVA, November 21, 2005 (WAFA) - The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the immediate and unconditional release of a human rights fieldworker. In a press release, the Observatory said it has been informed by Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights NGO, about the renewal of the administrative detention order of Mr. Ziyad Muhammad Shehadeh Hmeidan, one of its fieldworkers. Former CIA director accuses Cheney of overseeing torture in Iraq, Afghanistan Middle East Online 11/18/2005 LONDON & WASHINGTON - Admiral Stansfield Turner, a former CIA director, accused US Vice President Dick Cheney of overseeing policies of torturing terrorist suspects and damaging the nation''s reputation, in a television interview Thursday."We have crossed the line into dangerous territory," Turner, who headed the Central Intelligence Agency in the 1970s,said on ITV news. "I am embarrassed that the USA has a vice president for torture. I think it is just reprehensible. He (Mr Cheney) advocates torture, what else is it? I just don''t understand how a man in that position can take such a stance." Operational update: ICRC activities in Israel, the Occupied and Autonomous Territories,Oct 2005 ReliefWeb/International Committee of the Red Cross 11/18/2005 31 Oct 2005 - Protection - Monitoring conditions of detention: Visits to detainees falling under the ICRC mandate are a long-standing priority of the institution in Israel, the Occupied and Autonomous territories. ICRC delegates regularly visit Israeli and Palestinian places of detention to monitor treatment and living conditions. The observations and recommendations are submitted confidentially to the authorities in charge. / Detainees visited in Israeli places of detention: In October, ICRC delegates visited 4 interrogation centres and Damoun, Nitzan, Megiddo and Shikma prisons. They also visited Salem, Gush Etzion and Efraim provisional detention centres./ Detainees visited in the Territories... UN investigators reject Guantanamo prison visit Daily Star 11/19/2005 Human rights team says Washington will not let them interview prisoners -- UN human rights investigators rejected an invitation to visit the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, saying on Friday Washington would not let them interview the-more-than 500 people held there. Human rights groups urged the European Commission to investigate alleged secret U.S. detention facilities in Europe. Shas seeks return of former chairman YNetNews 11/18/2005 Fear of Amir Peretz ''stealing votes'' leads Shas spiritual leader''s confidant to call on former chairman Aryeh Deri to return home as party''s ''president'' -- Attorney David Glass, long-time confidant and faithful advisor of Shas'' spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, called on former Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri on Friday to return to the party. After the cool-down in their relations, it seems that Rabbi Yosef is trying to appease Shas'' legendary chairman and to turn him once again, despite the fact that he is a convicted felon and a released prisoner – into an influential figure in one of Israel''s key parties. PPS: “40 residents arrested in Hebron since the beginning of November” International Middle East Media Center 11/17/2005 The Hebron office of the Palestinian Prisoners Society reported, on Thursday, that Israeli soldiers arrested 40 residents in the West Bank city of Hebron since the beginning of November. The residents were arrested in dozens of military invasions carried out in the city of Hebron and the surrounding villages. The army continued it military procedures, and closure in the city and its nearby villages, and broke into dozens of homes. Hundreds of residents were detained and interrogated by the soldiers, in addition to dozens of attacks which were carried out by the settlers against the residents of the city. Palestinian self-determination, human rights in Democratic People''s Republic of Korea addressed in texts approved by Third Committee ReliefWeb/United Nations General Assembly 11/17/2005 The resolution pointed to reports of widespread human rights violations, such as torture, public executions, arbitrary detention and the lack of due process.....A text on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination -- approved by a vote of 162 in favour to 4 against, with 3 abstentions -- reaffirmed the Palestinians’ right to their independent State of Palestine, and urged all States and United Nations agencies and organizations to continue to support realization of that goal (Annex II). More than 80,000 held by US since 9/11 attacks The Guardian 11/18/2005 Growing worries over treatment of prisoners - Fury in Europe over secret CIA terror suspect flights -- The US has detained more than 80,000 people in facilities from Afghanistan to Cuba since the attacks on the World Trade Centre four years ago, the Pentagon said yesterday. The disclosure comes at a time of growing unease about Washington''s treatment of prisoners in its "war on terror" and Europe''s unknowing help in the CIA''s practice of rendition. Nearly half of Americans condone torture on terror suspects: Poll Daily Star 11/18/2005 Forty-eight percent feel policies not enough to protect U.S. -- WASHINGTON: Nearly half of Americans believe the use of torture against suspected terrorists to gain information is justified, according to a survey published Thursday by the Pew Research Center. The survey, involving 2,006 people from the general public, found that 46 percent believe that torturing terror suspects to gain important information is sometimes (31 percent) or often (15 percent) justified while 17 percent thought it is rarely justified and 32 percent were opposed. Hamas members face murder charges YNetNews 11/17/2005 According to indictment, two men were part of Hamas cell that abducted, murdered Sasson Nuriel -- An indictment was served Thursday against two Hamas members on charges of involvement in the murder of Israeli citizen Sasson Nuriel. According to the indictment, Muhammad Rumhi and Sa’id Shalalde were members of a Hamas cell that decided to abduct Israelis in order to later negotiate their release in a bid to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners. British historian David Irving arrested in Austria on Holocaust denial charges Ha''aretz 11/17/2005 VIENNA, Austria - Controversial British historian David Irving has been arrested on a warrant accusing him of denying the Holocaust, the Austrian Interior Ministry said Thursday. Irving was arrested on Nov. 11 in the southern province of Styria, said police Maj. Rudolf Golia, a spokesman for the Austrian Interior Ministry. He was transferred to a prison in Graz. Irving was detained on a warrant issued in 1989 under Austrian laws that make Holocaust denial a crime, Golia said. Saudis slated for jailing teacher BBC 11/17/2005 A court in Saudi Arabia has been criticised for sentencing a teacher to over three years in prison and 750 lashes for mocking Islam. Human Rights Watch says the Saudi judiciary is imprisoning people who advocate genuine educational reform. Mohammed al-Harbi was found guilty of promoting "dubious ideologies" and preventing students from going to wash for prayer. He says he is the victim of a campaign organised by religious conservatives. Growing concern over CIA flights AlJazeera 11/16/2005 Concern is widening in a clutch of countries in Europe and north Africa over the use of their airports by US intelligence officials to transfer suspected Islamic extremists. Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain and Sweden have all been linked to the CIA''s use of planes for the transit, or rendition, of prisoners allegedly subjected to extra-judicial detention and torture. Army invades Beit Sahour and Beit Fajar International Middle East Media Center 11/15/2005 The Israeli army invaded, on Tuesday at dawn, Beit Sahour town in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and searched several houses there. Troops invaded the town and searched the house of Shadi and Mohand Danon, the Danon brothers are prisoners in the Israeli jails, local sources reported. Also troops invaded Beit Fajar south of the city and searched several houses there, eyewitnesses reported. No arrests were reported in both towns. Army invades Beit Sahour and Beit Fajar International Middle East Media Center 11/15/2005 The Israeli army invaded, on Tuesday at dawn, Beit Sahour town in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and searched several houses there. Troops invaded the town and searched the house of Shadi and Mohand Danon, the Danon brothers are prisoners in the Israeli jails, local sources reported. Also troops invaded Beit Fajar south of the city and searched several houses there, eyewitnesses reported. No arrests were reported in both towns. Statistics: Israel Arrested Half Million Palestinians, 8800 still Detained including Women and Children WAFA 11/15/2005 GAZA, November 15, 2005, (WAFA)- Ministry of Prisoner''s Affairs (MOPA) revealed that Israeli arrested more than half a million Palestinians since the beginning of its occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967. In its monthly report issued Tuesday MOPA said that Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested around 650,000 citizens (20% of the Palestinian citizens of WB and GS). It added that 8800 prisoners are still detained in 28 Israeli jails and detention centres. Statistics: Israel Arrested Half Million Palestinians, 8800 still Detained including Women and Children WAFA 11/15/2005 GAZA, November 15, 2005, (WAFA)- Ministry of Prisoner''s Affairs (MOPA) revealed that Israeli arrested more than half a million Palestinians since the beginning of its occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967. In its monthly report issued Tuesday MOPA said that Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested around 650,000 citizens (20% of the Palestinian citizens of WB and GS). It added that 8800 prisoners are still detained in 28 Israeli jails and detention centres. Supreme Court releases man accused of assault on Gaza youth Ha''aretz 11/15/2005 The Supreme Court on Tuesday accepted an appeal calling for the release from prison of Shimshon Sitrin, who allegedly led the attempted lynching of Palestinian teen Hilal Majaida in Gaza in June. Majaida was attacked by a gang of settler youths, led by Sitrin, prior to Israel''s pullout from the Gaza Strip. Israel Defense Forces soldiers came to the rescue of Majaida, but he was nevertheless wounded and hospitalized in Khan Younis. Though Sitrin was released from detention, he is still being charged with attempted murder, rioting, sabotage and violating travel restrictions. Supreme Court releases man accused of assault on Gaza youth Ha''aretz 11/15/2005 The Supreme Court on Tuesday accepted an appeal calling for the release from prison of Shimshon Sitrin, who allegedly led the attempted lynching of Palestinian teen Hilal Majaida in Gaza in June. Majaida was attacked by a gang of settler youths, led by Sitrin, prior to Israel''s pullout from the Gaza Strip. Israel Defense Forces soldiers came to the rescue of Majaida, but he was nevertheless wounded and hospitalized in Khan Younis. Though Sitrin was released from detention, he is still being charged with attempted murder, rioting, sabotage and violating travel restrictions. Gaza in danger of turning into a ''giant prison'', says Mideast envoy Palestine Monitor/Independent 11/14/2005 James Wolfensohn, the former chairman of the World Bank, warned yesterday that Gaza was in danger of becoming a "giant prison" after Israeli withdrawal unless there was swift agreement on freeing the passage of goods and people through border crossings. Although the word "prison" has been frequently used by Palestinians impatient for better access to the outside world for Gaza''s imports and exports, Mr Wolfensohn''s resort to the metaphor reflects frustration at the lack of progress in talks between the two sides, particularly on the Karni crossing between Gaza and Israel. MK Omri Sharon to admit corruption in plea bargain Ha''aretz 11/15/2005 MK Omri Sharon (Likud), son of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, on Monday struck a plea bargain with state prosecution whereby he would admit to the charges of falsifying corporate documents, perjury and to violating the party funding law. In return the prosecution would remove the charges of fraud and breach of trust. The first two charges carry prison sentences and the third charge carries a fine. Islamic Movement firebrand to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday Ha''aretz 11/13/2005 Israeli security forces are bracing for a Friday visit by Sheikh Raed Salah, the firebrand Islamic Movement leader, to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem''s Old City. Salah was freed from prison in July after serving two years for financing Hamas activities, money laundering, membership in illegal organizations and holding contacts with hostile figures. The terms of his release forbade him from visiting Jerusalem for four months, a period which expires on Thursday. Guantanamo inmates to lose all rights The Observer 11/13/2005 US law proposal attacked by campaigners -- Human rights campaigners are calling it the ''November surprise'' - a last-minute amendment smuggled into a Pentagon finance bill in the US Senate last Thursday. Its effects are likely to be devastating: the permanent removal of almost all legal rights from ''war on terror'' detainees at Guantanamo Bay and every other similar US facility on foreign or American soil. White House will not rule out torture AlJazeera 11/14/2005 A top White House official has refused to rule out the use of torture in an effort to prevent a major terrorist attack. US national security adviser Stephen Hadley argued the War on Terror could present a "difficult dilemma" and the US administration was duty-bound to protect the American people. His comment on Sunday came amid heated national debate on whether the CIA and other US intelligence agencies should be authorised to use tough interrogation techniques to extract from terrorism suspects information that may help prevent future assaults. Israel, PA at stalemate over deal on Gaza Strip crossings Ha''aretz 11/14/2005 Quartet special Mideast envoy James Wolfensohn on Sunday called the next 72 hours "critical to his mission" in a meeting with the managers of the Karni cargo terminal, which failed to yield any results so far. Wolfenson added he is frustrated by the lack of change in the atmosphere between Israelis and Palestinians and the risk that the Gaza Strip will become a huge prison. Wolfensohn said without progress in talks, he would consider going home. Minister Abu Zaidah Says Patient Prisoners'' Conditions Dire WAFA 11/11/2005 GAZA, November 11, 2005 (WAFA) - Minster of Prisoner''s Affairs Dr. Sufian Abu Zaidah conveyed Friday the suffering of the prisoners due to the Israeli procrastination in transferring the patient prisoners to hospitals. Abu Zaidah visited Thursday al-Ramlah prison where he met a number of patient prisoners and listened to their sufferings and complaints. Americans Look to Israel as Role Model in Fight Against Terrorism Forward 11/11/2005 WASHINGTON — After years of criticizing Israel''s human rights record, America now finds itself tapping the Jewish state''s experience in balancing the need to protect individual freedoms and the need to fight terrorism. And Jerusalem seems happy to help, as the issues of torture and the general treatment of detainees are garnering national attention in the United States...Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican pushing a legislative amendment that clarifies the rules governing the military''s treatment of detainees, has been citing Israel''s 1999 Supreme Court ruling that banned torture as an inspiration and a resource. [See also: The Treatment of Prisoners and Detainees by Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Others] More 6 Citizens Arrested in WB WAFA 11/10/2005 HEBRON, November 10, 2005 (WAFA)-Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested on Thursday 6 more citizens in the West Bank (WB) cities of Hebron and Tulkarem, witnesses and local sources said. In Hebron, Israeli soldiers stormed Israeli work places in Beit Shamis and arrested two citizens from Soureef village, Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said. Justice Rubinstein: U.S. should free convicted spy Pollard Ha''aretz 11/11/2005 High Court Justice Eliyakim Rubinstein on Thursday made a rare politically tainted comment when saying that the United States should release Jonathan Pollard, who has been jailed for almost 20 years following his conviction for spying for Israel. "It is time the U.S. Administration free Jonathan Pollard," Rubinstein said. "20 years is more than enough time to serve in prison and I believe that the U.S. should pardon him." Sit-in demanding the release of a sick prisoner International Middle East Media Center 11/9/2005 The Palestinian national and Islamic factions organized on Tuesdays afternoon a sit-in demanding the release of Al Sheikh Zied Zakarnah in front of the Red Cross office in the West Bank city of Jenin, local sources reported. The participants waved Palestinian Flags and called for the release of all Palestinian prisoners including Sheikh Zied Zakarnah whose health is deteriorating due to his bad prison conditions. Guantanamo ordeal of Aljazeera cameraman AlJazeera 10/26/2005 Sami Muhy al-Din al-Hajj, a Sudanese national, was arrested by the US military while working for Aljazeera during the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, and detained in Guantanamo for four years without trial. Aljazeera.net spoke to al-Hajj''s lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, regarding his case and the prospects for his release. He said al-Hajj had suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse and religious persecution. Stafford-Smith said despite the US government''s denials, Guantanamo detainees were being held in pitiful conditions. Israeli Arab sentenced to 6 years jail for Hezbollah membership Ha''aretz 11/10/2005 Nazareth District Court on Wednesday sentenced an Israeli Arab man convicted of active membership in Hezbollah to six years in prison. Jassan Atamallah, a former secretary of the Balad (National Democratic Alliance Party) in Nazareth, was convicted of maintaining contact with a foreign agent and of illegal membership and other related forbidden activities. Atmallah''s brother Sarhan was given the same sentence two months ago. Ancient church found in Israeli prison AlJazeera 11/6/2005 Israeli archaeologists have discovered what may be the oldest Christian church in the Holy Land on the grounds of a prison near the biblical site of Armageddon. The Israeli Antiquities Authority said on Saturday the ruins are believed to date back to the third or fourth centuries, and include references to Jesus and images of fish, an ancient Christian symbol."This is a very ancient structure, maybe the oldest in our area," said Yotam Tepper, the head archaeologist on the dig. Top US court to review ''terror'' trials AlJazeera 11/7/2005 The US Supreme Court has announced it will decide an appeal by an accused al-Qaida member, challenging President George Bush''s power to create military tribunals to put Guantanamo prisoners on trial for war crimes. The justices agreed to review a US appeals court ruling that Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni accused of being Osama bin Laden''s bodyguard and driver, could be tried by a military tribunal. Troops who abused Palestinians indicted YNetNews 11/7/2005 Military Prosecutor''s Office charges two soldiers with abuse, after they violently assaulted handcuffed detainees at roadblock -- The Military Prosecutor''s Office indicted Monday two soldiers of the engineering Corps over charges of abusing three Palestinian detainees at the Kalandiya roadblock near Jerusalem. Archaeologists say may have found oldest church Ha''aretz 11/6/2005 A mosaic and the remains of a building uncovered recently in excavations on the Megiddo prison grounds may belong to the earliest church in the world, according to a preliminary examination by the Israel Antiquities Authority. One of the most dramatic finds suggests that, instead of an altar, a simple table stood in the center of the church, at which a sacred meal was held to commemorate the Last Supper. JDL Member Imprisoned in Bomb Plot Killed The Guardian 11/6/2005 LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Jewish Defense League activist imprisoned for his role in a plot to bomb a California mosque and the office of a Lebanese-American congressman was killed at a federal prison in Phoenix, an FBI spokesman said Saturday. Earl Krugel, 62, was killed in an assault Friday evening at the Federal Correctional Institution, said FBI agent Richard Murray. Hamas will not renew truce if Israel doesn’t halt its attacks International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2005 Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said that it will not renew its commitment to the truce, which expires at the end of this year, if Israel does not halt its attacks, and refrains from releasing Palestinian political detainees. Mahmoud Zahhar, one of Hamas’ prominent leaders, said that the Palestinian factions agreed to the truce nine months ago under the condition that Israel refrains from carrying attacks in the Palestinian territories. Hamas sets conditions for renewing truce ReliefWeb 11/3/2005 GAZA, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Hamas Islamic militants will only renew a truce that expires at the end of the year if Israel halts attacks and frees Palestinian prisoners, a leader of the powerful armed faction said on Thursday. The comments from Mahmoud al-Zahar followed the worst violence since Israel and the Palestinians sealed a truce nine months ago and militants agreed to follow a "period of calm". Five Kuwaitis freed from Guantanamo AlJazeera 11/4/2005 Kuwaiti authorities have received five detainees who were freed after three years of detention in Guantanamo, the state news agency has said. "The five detainees that Kuwaiti authorities received today are on their way to Kuwait on a flight," the agency, KUNA, quoted the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States as saying on Thursday. "They''re expected to be tried in a Kuwaiti court where they will receive a just sentence." Red Cross probes CIA ''secret jails'' AlJazeera 11/3/2005 The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for access to all foreign terrorism suspects held by the United States after a report of a covert CIA prison system for al-Qaida captives. The Washington Post said on Wednesday the CIA had been hiding and interrogating inmates at a secret Soviet-era facility in Eastern Europe. The detention facility is one of several so-called "black sites" that formed a global network set up after the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. Prisoner Solidarity and Anti-Wall Protest to Continue in Bil’in on Friday in the Face of Continued Military Suppression International Solidarity Movement 11/2/2005 This Friday at 12:00 pm the villagers of Bil’in together with Israeli and International supporters will hold another creative non-violent march to the construction site of the Apartheid Barrier. The main theme of this week’s demonstration will be prisoner solidarity. Due to the recent night-time raids by the Israeli military, seventeen non-violent protestors from the village currently remain in Israeli detention. These arrestees are being accused by the Israeli authorities of damaging the foundations of the barrier and throwing stones. CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons Washington Post 11/2/2005 Debate Is Growing Within Agency About Legality and Morality of Overseas System Set Up After 9/11 -- The CIA has been hiding and interrogating some of its most important al Qaeda captives at a Soviet-era compound in Eastern Europe, according to U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the arrangement. The secret facility is part of a covert prison system set up by the CIA nearly four years ago that at various times has included sites in eight countries, including Thailand, Afghanistan and several democracies in Eastern Europe, as well as a small center at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, according to current and former intelligence officials and diplomats from three continents. CIA ''has secret terror jails'' AlJazeera 11/2/2005 The CIA is holding some of its most important suspect al-Qaida captives in a network of secret prisons including one at a Soviet-era facility in Eastern Europe, the Washington Post reports. According to the paper the locations of the facilities "are known to only a handful of officials in the United States and, usually, only to the president and a few top intelligence officers in each host country." Syria pardons 190 political prisoners AlJazeera 11/2/2005 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has pardoned 190 political prisoners in a goodwill gesture to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the state news agency SANA said. The measure, which SANA said was meant to "fortify national unity," comes as al-Assad faces mounting international pressure following the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri....Al-Assad has released hundreds of political prisoners since assuming power in 2000 but human rights activists say Syrian authorities are still holding thousands of detainees under emergency law in force since 1963. |
Middle East: ’Almost every prisoner is told to get money or weapons’ Jonathan Steele in Nablus, The Guardian 7/29/2008 Mahdi Khanfar, a 35-year-old graduate in urban development, still trembles at the memory of his arrest by the Palestinian Authority’s mukhabarat (intelligence service) in May. "The mukhabarat asked me about Hamas and weapons. They put me in a zinzana [a small windowless cell] at mukhabarat headquarters in Jenin and started hanging me with my hands tied behind my back. My toes were only just touching the floor. Sometimes they also tied one leg so I had only one foot on the ground. It lasted for five days. I’ve lost all feeling in my left hand," he told the Guardian last week. One of several former detainees interviewed in Nablus and Jenin, he described what appeared to be a pattern in which Hamas sympathisers are often only released on production by their families of money or guns. The alleged abuse by PA forces appears to be aimed at convincing western donor governments, as well as Israel, that the authority is "clamping down on terror".
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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 Boycott Israeli Medical Association UK: The Medical Committee for Boycott of the Israeli Medical Association (IMA) will document the systematic torture of Palestinian people by agents of Israel. It will publicise the practice in order to bring world opinion to bear on Israel. And it will challenge the Israeli Medical Association which has repeatedly failed to issue advice to doctors who are involved in any way with torture. 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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