Emergency - International Action Needed


PALESTINIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS BEGIN HUNGER STRIKE


On 15 August 2004 thousands of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel jails started a hunger strike for improved prison conditions and for an end to torture and inhuman treatment. During the month of August 7,500 Palestinian political prisoners will take part in a massive series of hunger strikes hoping to draw international attention and support to a campaign against the gross violations of their rights and against the appalling conditions under which they are being detained. This campaign is not politicalrather its aim is to stop the excessively harsh treatment of Palestinian political prisoners and to ensure that the conditions under which they are imprisoned are consistent with international norms of human rights and basic decency.

Palestinian detainees request that the international community exert pressure on Israel in order to meet its international obligations concerning the treatment of prisoners and respect for their basic human rights.

Prisoners from about 20 prisons are demanding an end to the inhuman and illegal conditions they are kept in inside Israeli jails. The prisoners are demanding an end to torture, strip searches, lack of access to adequate medical treatment, arrest of children and inhuman practices against them, restricted or refused family visits, installation of thick glass barriers at visiting rooms, solitary confinement, over-crowded conditions and lack of adequate access to their lawyers.

Last week about 100 relatives of prisoners marched through the West Bank city of Nablus in solidarity with their jailed relatives. They demanded improved conditions for family visits especially as prisoners from Nablus have not been allowed ANY family visits for nearly 1 year, an end to solitary confinement and better medical care. The prisoners are also demanding to be recognised as prisoners of war.

The prisoners' statement has said that they have decided to go on an open-ended hunger strike in all occupation jails as of Sunday 15 August 2004 until their just and legitimate demands have been met in accordance with international laws and conventions.

The treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israel violates both international and Israeli laws, as well as rules governing the administration of Israeli prisons. The prisoners are protesting against:

·Arbitrary and indiscriminate beating of prisoners in their cells, in prison courtyards and during transportation to and from prisons.

·Arbitrary and indiscriminate firing of tear gas into prisoner s cells and prison courtyards and intimidation of prisoners by guards entering their cells with guns.

·Humiliating strip searches of prisoners in full view of other prisoners and guards each time they enter or exit their cells Subjecting prisoners to solitary confinement for excessive periods of time, for months and even years.

·Arbitrary imposition of financial penalties on prisoners for minor infractions, arbitrary revocation of visitation rights and extended confinement to cells as punishment for minor infractions such as singing or speaking too loudly

·Confining children with adult prisoners and political prisoners with criminals

·Withholding or delaying medical treatment and the provision of medication to sick detainees

·Severely restricting the category of family members entitled to visit prisoners thus denying visitation rights to other close family members

·Arbitrary denial of travel permits to family members of prisoners living in the West Bank or Gaza so that they cannot travel to prisons to see their relatives, and especially for prisoners from Nablus for whom family visits are prohibited

·Imposing conditions on travel for family members and obstacles that result in travel of a few hours being prolonged to 16 or 17 hours for a 45-minute visit

·Conducting humiliating strip searches of visiting family members even though they are usually separated from the prisoners by a full glass barrier as well as a wire mesh barrier.

·Providing such poor visitation facilities that prisoners find it difficult to see or hear their loved ones

·Maintaining prisoners on near starvation diets that are insufficient to sustain health.

Applying rules concerning items that prisoners may receive from their families arbitrarily and inconsistently, on the whim of the guards, with each visit.

·Withdrawing studying privileges that in the past allowed prisoners to continue their high school or university studies through correspondence courses

A number of groups are organising activities and events in the West Bank to support the prisoners demands. Hunger strike solidarity tents will be set up in the centre of all the cities in the West Bank and in all the Red Cross Centres and will be occupied by the public 24 hours a day for as long as the prisoners strike lasts.

The Palestinian Prime Minister's office has declared August 18th a National Day for Prisoners for all Palestinians to show solidarity with the prisoners. All government ministers, members of the Palestinian National Council and heads of all political parties will join the public in the Solidarity Tents and fast in support of the prisoners.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP

The families of the Palestinian political prisoners ask members of the international community, to join in solidarity by organizing an International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners on September 4, 2004.

Please organise demonstrations, silent vigils or activities to publicize the plight of the political prisoners and bring pressure on the government of Israel to cease these violations of law and to treat Palestinian prisoners as human beings entitled to basic human rights.

- Write to the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) delegation in Occupied Palestine at:

ICRC Delegation
185, Hayarkon Street

Tel Aviv 63453

Tel.: (++972) 35 24 52 86

Fax: (++972) 35 27 03 70

E-Mail:  tel_aviv.tel@icrc.org

Head of deleg.: Mr Bellon Frangois

Media contact person: Mr Masad Uriel

Mobile: (++972) 64 681 455

Jerusalem

Tel.: (++972 2) 582 88 45 / 582 84 41; Fax: (++972 2) 581 13 75

E-Mail:  jerusalem.jer@icrc.org

Head of mission: Mr Cavoli Daniel

Gaza

Tel.: (++972) 57 756 860

Head of sub-delegation: Mr. Marti Jean-Nicolas

Write to your elected representative to ask them to put pressure on the Israeli Government to demand an end to the inhuman and illegal conditions that Palestinian political prisoners are kept in, and to demand an immediate end to the routine use of torture and abuse.

Prime Minister: Tony Blair:

Fax: 020 7925 0918

Tel:

Email via:  http://www.number-10.gov.uk

Foreign Office: Jack Straw:

Tel: 020 7008 1500

fax: 020 7270 2144

Middle East Peace Section: 020 7008 2462

Palestine Desk: 020 7008 3796

Email:  http://www.fco.gov.uk

Contact your MP:

Ask them to raise the issue with Jack Straw and Tony Blair

Find your MP via:

House of Commons information Office: 020 7219 4272

Using your postcode: www.locata.co.uk/commons/

 http://www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm

 http://www.faxyourmp.com/

Israeli Embassy: fax: 020 7957 9555

Tel: 020 7957 9500

Email:  info-assist@london.mfa.gov.il or  info1@london.mfa.gov.il

SUPPORT THE PRISONERS

Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition is sponsoring a letter writing campaign of support to Palestinian prisoners, especially those who started a hunger strike on 15 August 2004.


Al Awda are asking organizations and individuals from all over the world to send their letters of support to our comrades in Israeli prisons to:  palprisoner@yahoo.com
or by fax to: 1-928-752-8355 .

They will then present these letters to the prisoners and their families.

Further Information on Palestinian Political Prisoners

NUMBERS OF PRISONERS

As of the beginning of June 2004, there were over 7000 Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territories being held as political prisoners by the Israeli army or police. This figure includes 370 Palestinian children (defined as those under the age of 18 in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) and 103 Palestinian women (including girls).

More than 1,000 Palestinians are being held in administrative detention without trial no charges have been brought, or proven, against them. Their conditions of detention are extremely poor, and in some cases, life-threatening. The majority of these detainees are being held in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention in prisons outside of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In addition to the over 7000 political prisoners held by Israel,
thousands of other Palestinians have been detained and released since the beginning of the current Intifada in September 2000.

Israel continues to practice torture and other forms of mistreatment against Palestinian detainees including severe beatings, being tied in painful and contorted positions for long periods of time, psychological abuse, long periods of solitary confinement, and pressure to collaborate with the occupying forces. These abuses are not restricted to Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip; two Palestinians with Israeli citizenship recently launched a hunger strike following 54 days of detention in inhuman conditions in an Israeli detention center.


RECENT REPORT

For further information on current conditions inside Israeli prisoners and detention centers, see a report produced by ADAMEER: Prisons, Detention and Interrogation Centres (June 2004) - Prepared by Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association (Palestine) and Sumoud Political Prisoner Solidarity Group (Canada)

 http://sumoud.tao.ca/?q=node/view/76


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Palestinian Prisoners' Society -  http://www.ppsmo.org/e-website/index.htm

Addameer Society -  http://www.addameer.org/index2.html

Popular Committee in Solidarity with Hussam Khader -

 http://www.hussamkhader.org

Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti -  http://www.freebarghouti.org/index.html

Asier Palestinian Prisoner Organisation -  http://www.asier.org/portal.php

The Palestine Monitor htp://www.palestinemonitor.org



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NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS CONDEMNS ISRAELI TREATMENT OF JOURNALIST

The National Union of Journalists has condemned the Israeli Government For its treatment of journalist Ewa Jasiewicz.

Ewa Jasiewicz landed at Tel Aviv airport last Wednesday and was detained by the authorities, who claim she is a political activist and that her reporting would not be objective.

She was interrogated by Defence Ministry Officials for seven hours. They told her she would be deported on Sunday morning, but she has decided to appeal against this.

Ewa Jasiewicz, who is a correspondent for the British left-wing magazine Red Pepper, is being detained in prison pending an appeal hearing.

NUJ Freelance Organiser John Toner said: "Ewa Jasiewicz is a bona fide journalist who has travelled to Israeli to research a story. She holds an NUJ Press Card and an IFJ International Press Card, and it is outrageous that she should be treated in this way.

"It is not acceptable that a supposedly democratic country should refuse
entry to a journalist because they find her work objectionable. This amounts to state censorship, and we call on the UK Government to intervene."

The name of the prison is not known, but the telephone number is 00 972 397 95305. NUJ Freelance organiser John Toner contacted the prison, but they will not let him speak to Ewa, and they told him they did not know who he was talking about. The Israelis want to deport Ewa but she is appealing against the decision, because she wants to stay, and be given access to Israel and Palestine. Ewa has legal representation.

Please email, call and/or fax the Israeli embassy. The details are as follows, Telephone: 020 7957 9500, Fax, 020 7957 9555, email:

 info-assist@london.mfa.gov.il, also consular matters:

 cons-sec@london.mfa.gov.il

Foreign Office: Jack Straw:

Tel: 020 7008 1500

fax: 020 7270 2144

Contact your MP: Ask them to raise the issue with Jack Straw

Find Your MP via:

House of Commons information Office: 020 7219 4272

Using your postcode: www.locata.co.uk/commons/

 http://www.parliament.uk/directories/directories.cfm

 http://www.faxyourmp.com/


For more information Contact John Toner 0207 843 3713, 07710 314 593