Democratic Palestine : 45 (ص 13)
غرض
- عنوان
- Democratic Palestine : 45 (ص 13)
- المحتوى
-
Strikes in Zionist Prisons
The struggle of the 17,000
Palestinians currently imprisoned in
Zionist jails escalated markedly in the
recent period, protesting in particular
the tightened repressive measures
imposed during and after the Gulf war.
The appeal issued by the prisoners in
Asqalan, after they began an
open-ended visit strike on May 6th,
gives a picture of the deteriorating
conditions (see box).
Given that approximately 40,000
Palestinians currently pass through
Israeli prisons and detention centers each
year, the prisoners’ struggle is virtually
inseparable from the ongoing intifada.
In the wake of the Gulf war, solidarity
with the political prisoners has been a
main focus of the popular movement’s
activities with Palestinian lawyers,
relatives, women’s committees and
others organizing numerous sit —ins,
press conferences, etc., to press for their
demands.
On June 23rd, the 280 political
prisoners in Nafha, located in the desert
of South Palestine, began a hunger strike
protesting ill treatment by the Zionist
prison authorities. They were
immediately joined by Palestinian
prisoners in Asqalan and Ramleh jails,
striking for demands similar to those
originally put forward in the Asqalan
appeal. Conditions are _ particularly
severe in Nafha prison due to the
climate. The general increase in illness in
many prisons, due to
conditions and medical negligence, is
aggravated in Nafha where temperatures
may exceed 40 degrees. Nafha prisoners,
like those in Ansar III, have special
difficulties receiving visitors due to the
location of the prisons and_ the
occupation authorities’ restrictions.
The Nafha strike sparked solidarity
strikes of varying durations in Hebron,
Ansar III, Nablus Central Prison,
Tulkarm, Jenin, Kfar Youna and other
prisons. In all, about 15,000 detainees
took part in the action.
Only after 16 days of the hunger
strike did the prison authorities show
signs of readiness to concede to the
prisoners’ demands. With mediation by
Palestinian lawyers and Israeli human
rights activists, a meeting was arranged
between the prisoners’ representatives
and the authorities, where the latter
agreed to 17 of the prisoners’ demands.
According to Ali Ghuzlan, head of the
Arab Lawyers Committee, the most
Democratic Palestine, August 1991
important achievement was the prison
authorities’ promise to appoint a doctor
in the prison; the second most important
demand fulfilled was the authorities’
agreement to move asbestos away from
the windows. He explained, «Among the
prisoners, 170 wear glasses because of
the continuous light in the rooms and the
absence of healthy ventilation» (A/ Fajr.
July 15th). The authorities also pledged
to return those prisoners who had been
isolated back to the main part of the
prison. Other demands fulfilled
included: improving food,
conditions and ventilation; providing
new clothing for the prisoners; allowing
them to receive newspapers and books,
to move from cell to cell and to pray. The
effect of this was basically restoring the
pre — war conditions — demands gained
from previous prison __ struggles.
Moreover, visiting time was extended
from one half hour to 45 minutes.
However, the overall problem of
detainees from the 1967 occupied
territories receiving family visits in
prisons where they are held in the 1948
occupied area. remains unresolved. This
being related to overall occupation
policy, we can expect future strikes and
struggle to resolve this issue.
hygenic
worsening. - هو جزء من
- Democratic Palestine : 45
- تاريخ
- أغسطس ١٩٩١
- المنشئ
- الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين
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