The Prisoners´ Affairs Authority (Prisoners and Editors Affairs Authority, the Palestinian Prisoners Club, Al-Dameer Foundation, Hurriyat Center, and the Higher Prisoners Affairs Authority) renewed their call for urgent intervention to release the prisoners in the occupation prisons, especially the sick ones, the elderly, and children And female prisoners, in light of the continued spread of the Covid epidemic 19 (Corona).
This came during a press conference before the International Red Cross in Al-Bireh today, on the occasion of the commemoration of the Palestinian Prisoner Day, which falls on April 17 of each year.
Major General Qadri Abu Bakr, Chairman of the Prisoners and Editors Affairs Authority, said about the latest developments on the reality of prisoners in the occupation prisons: The prisoner´s day for this year is different from all past years, because the prisoners face the oppression of the enemies and the threat of the epidemic together, calling for providing international protection for our people and our prisoners in the shadow of The continuous Israeli aggression against the rights of our people and families, and the necessity of pressure from all international parties to compel Israel, as an occupying Power, to stop its crimes and continuous violations.
Abu Bakr stated that nearly 5,000 prisoners, including 41 female prisoners, 180 children, 430 administrative detainees, 700 patients and dozens of elderly people are still dreaming of freedom and life, and demanding the world stop the flagrant violations against them by the occupation authorities.
In turn, the head of the Palestinian Prisoner Club, Qadura Fares, said: This year comes the anniversary of the prisoner´s day, with the spread of the epidemic, and we have called on the world to intervene in order for Israel to abide by international standards in its prisons, to release the sick, the elderly, children and women, and to disclose a protocol of work in its prisons. , Which constitutes an environment conducive to the spread of the epidemic, which can only reach the prisoner through the prison, but it has met with more disdain for the fate of our prisoners.
Faris continued: We find that the occupation authorities and between 2019 and 2020 implemented a number of repressive and systematic measures and policies, and legislated laws that take them away from what the world demands that they adhere to the minimum levels of international humanitarian standards and agreements, but given the presence of racist leadership, and given the successive election campaigns, they have been The issue of prisoners in the thundering controversy in Israel, and the prisoners´ material was used as propaganda media, as the occupation authorities escalated the policy of physical and psychological torture against detainees, and we all mention the prisoner Samer Al-Arbeed and his companions.
Fares recalled, "The martyrdom of a group of Palestinian leaders this month: Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni, Abu Yusef al-Najjar, Kamal Adwan, and Kamal Nasser. On this day, the sinful hand was received by the Emir of the Martyrs, Palestinian leader Abu Jihad, in addition to the anniversary of the arrest of the captive Marwan Barghouti. Member of the Central Committee of the Fatah movement.
For his part, Amin Shoman, head of the Supreme Commission for the Follow-up of the Affairs of Prisoners and Editors, paid tribute to all the prisoners in the prisons of the occupation, headed by the deans of the captive movement, the sick, the female prisoners, and the children, and pointed out that this year, as a result of the Corona pandemic, will not be implemented activities as Every year, he again called on him to intervene to release them.
Sahar Francis, Executive Director of Al-Dameer Association for Prisoner Care and Human Rights, said that the Palestinian Prisoner´s Day this year comes in very difficult circumstances, especially for the families of the prisoners whose visits stopped, and the news of their children was interrupted since the beginning of March.
In her speech, Francis focused on the arbitrary measures taken by the occupation authorities in these difficult circumstances, besides stopping the visits of lawyers and the families of the prisoners, and issuing the occupation procedures through military orders since the beginning of the epidemic crisis, which relate to arresting procedures, stopping all trial procedures, and only examining investigation cases. And administrative detention cases, and stressed that the prisoner´s day is a very important occasion for the captive movement, human rights institutions and supporters of the captive movement in order to look at the arbitrary measures practiced by the occupation authorities, and the procedures of military courts.
In her speech, Sahar called for a comprehensive and complete boycott of all trials and procedures that always and never consider the interest of the occupation and not the interests of the prisoners, civilians, and residents of the occupied land.
Francis reviewed a number of violations and occupation policies, including the policy of medical negligence, which the occupation authorities continue to implement in light of the Corona crisis. Even people who were suspected of contracting the virus did not undergo medical tests, as happened with the detainee Noureddine Sarsour, who was released without any procedure. A serious medical examination for him, and he was later found to be infected with the Corona virus, when the Palestinian Ministry of Health conducted a test.
In addition to the complete isolation of the prisoners, the occupation authorities continued their refusal to allow the prisoners to make phone calls with their families, which was one of the main demands of the prisoners in their last hunger strike, noting that at the present time only families and children are allowed By contacting their families over the phone, as for the rest of the prisoners, they are not allowed, except for the prison administration to determine a large part of the supplies that the prisoners need from the cantina, which confirms that the prisoners are held and spend from their personal accounts to meet their needs even though the needs of the families are met It is the responsibility of the prison administration.
Francis stated that the human rights institutions concerned with the prisoners had contacted the United Nations, the European Union, and all the countries that signed the Fourth Geneva Convention, and that the Special Rapporteur on Palestine had informed the institutions that he would formulate a message about the prisoners, but until now the occupying Power has not been asked to release the prisoners. Especially the sick, the children, the female prisoners, and the administrative prisoners.
وقال Øلمي الأعرج، مدير مركز الدÙاع عن الØريات والØقوق المدنية "Øريات": "تØÙ„ ذكرى يوم الأسير الÙلسطيني التي ÙŠØييها شعبنا ÙÙŠ كاÙØ© أماكن تواجده ÙˆÙاءً للØركة الأسيرة لنضالاتها وتضØياتها الجسام، ولتجديد العهد أننا معهم Øتى انتزاع Øريتهم جميعاً، وقد جرت العادة أن نتØدث ÙÙŠ هذه المناسبة عن الانتهاكات الجسيمة التي يمارسها الاØتلال بشكل ممنهج بØÙ‚ أسرانا وأسيراتنا، ولكن ÙÙŠ هذه الظرو٠العصيبة هناك جريمة Øرب كبرى يرتكبها الاØتلال بØÙ‚ أسرانا عندما يرÙض إطلاق Ø³Ø±Ø§Ø Ø§Ù„Ø£Ø³Ø±Ù‰ المرضى وكبار السن والأسيرات والأطÙال والإداريين والموقوÙين Ù„Øماية صØتهم ÙˆØياتهم وتخÙي٠الاكتظاظ داخل السجون Øماية للمتبقين منهم.
وثمن الأعرج مبادرة الصليب الأØمر بمطالبة الاØتلال بإطلاق Ø³Ø±Ø§Ø Ø§Ù„Ø£Ø³Ø±Ù‰ المرضى وطالبهم بمواق٠ملموسة على هذا الصعيد.
He stressed that "the occupation, instead of releasing the prisoners, practices a policy of daily detention against them, and turns some of them into administrative detention. This is an affirmation that the occupation does not pay attention to the rights of the prisoners and the demands of our leadership, our government, our people, our factions, and our institutions to release them, but rather strikes wall wide all these claims and all the provisions of international humanitarian law." He is obliged to release them in order to protect their lives in such circumstances. "
He added: We are optimistic that there will be a close, important and comprehensive exchange deal that takes into account the historical accomplishments of the previous deal and the observations made on it so that the release process includes all life sentences, leaders and sick prisoners, pointing out that the occupation state within the framework of the political process refused to release these groups of prisoners, It was forced to release 1027 women and men, including life imprisonment and leaders, in exchange for one Israeli soldier. Now the occupying country refuses to submit to the provisions of international law to be forced into an upcoming exchange deal to release hundreds despite its nose.
