This came from T'ayush, the Arab-Jewish Partnership coalition. Tali
Fahima is a courageous, boundry-breaking and seriously committed
activist who needs as much support as she can get. She's brilliant.
Please take the time to read the following piece, its not too long. I
have also attached a link to an article from The News From Within - a
radical Israeli magazine - at the bottom. Also a recent article on Zakaria

Msg:


In case you haven't decided yet what to do tomorrow morning...

Tali Fahima's court hearing
Tomorrow, Thursday 16/12 at 9:30, at the Magistrate Court in Ashkelon
(Ben Gurion 3). Please come and show Tali and the court your support
and protest.

Adv. Smadar Ben Natan, Tali's attorney, sent this report:

The GSS inflict physical punishment on Ms Fahima during interrogation

Ms. Tali Fahima, a peace activist from Kiryat-Gat suspected of
contacting the leader of the AlAqsa Martyrs Brigade in Jenin, Zakariya
Zbeide, was arrested on August 8, 2004, and turned over to the GSS. The
interrogation methods used against her include: sleep deprivation, food
deprivation, painful handcuffing to a chair for long periods and sexual
harassment.

After 28 days of intensive interrogation, no evidence was found
against her. She was not released but transferred to administrative
detention in Neve Tirtza prison for 3 months. During this period of
arrest (from September 5, 2004 to December 5, 2004) Ms Fahima was kept
separated from the other prisoners. She was allowed access to only a
limited number of books, and deprived of the right to make phone calls,
except to her lawyer. She was repeatedly punished with solitary
confinement and denial of visits, cigarettes
and prevented from buying basic needs in the prisons cantina.

On Sunday, December 5, 2004, Ms Fahima was transferred again to GSS
interrogations compound for 12 days, in spite the face that GSS
representative admitted at court that there is no reliable evidence to
put her on trial. In a meeting with her lawyer Ms Ben Nathan dated
December 7 she complained about:

1. Interrogations lasting long hours where she is tightly handcuffed
to a
chair, behind her back. During visit time she was also held
tightly handcuffed and signs were clearly visible on her wrists.
Despite the request of her lawyer, the prison guard refused to release
her hands, arguing that "those are the orders". It should be remembered
that an Israeli Supreme Court decision 5100/94 (The Committee Against
Torture in Israel vs. The State of Israel) forbade the tying of
prisoners and tight handcuffing as methods of physical punishment or
mean of interrogation.


2. Tali Fahima was denied access to the toilets during the
interrogations for hours on end. Her interrogators, including one
code-named "Gil," said to her that the Israeli Security Services
instructions allow denial of access to the toilet.

3. In spite of the long interrogation periods lasting late into the
night, she was asked to wake up at dawn. When she refused to do it, she
denied access to cigarettes for 4 days.

4. Ms Fahima is moved within the interrogation compound with her eyes
covered so tightly that the red signs resulting from the pressure are
clearly visible on her brow, according to her lawyer.

5. The interrogators and male prison guards come into close physical
contact with her.

Tali was let to understand that the harsh conditions and methods are
used against her because she is exercising her right to remain silent.
Ms. Fahima is only exercising her legal right, which in no way entitles
the authorities to punish her, physically or in any otherway.


News From Within Article:

 http://www.newsfromwithin.org/free_articles/Lin%20Chalozin-Dovrat_Tali_Fahima.pdf


 http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=107&ItemID=6812

 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Palestinians%20Rebuilding%20Jenin