Under-cover forces attack detainees in Be’er Shiva prison

Thursday January 18, 2007 04:04 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Parents of dozens of Palestinian detainees imprisoned in Be’er Shiva Israeli prison reported that under-cover forces of the Israeli army broke into the rooms of the detainees in the facility on Sunday, and attacked several detainees.

Palestinian detainees blindfolded

The attack took place late on Sunday night as the under-cover forces broke into section 4, and fired rubber-coated bullets and gas bombs at the detainees.

The families informed the Mandela Institute that several detainees were injured. Some of the injured detainees were identified as Abdul-Mo’ty Haniyya, Mohammad Srour, Mohammad Dukhan, Abdullah Al Sharabaty, and Yahia Al Shinwar.

Following the attack, the detainees launched a hunger strike in protest to the continuous attacks carried out against them. Mandela Institute issued a press release slamming the attack and the illegal practices carried out against the detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities.

The institute stated that soldiers are searching the detainees in a provocative way, are carrying out repeated attacks against them in their rooms, and confining several detainees to solitary cells without any apparent reason.

Also, the institute demanded that international human rights organizations hold the Israeli authorities responsible, and that action is taken in order to stop the Israeli violations of international law.

Recently, detainee Jamal Al Saraheen died of medical neglect in the Negev Israeli detention camp.Al Saraheen was being held under administrative detention order without charges or trial.

The Mandela Institute called for the release of all Palestinian political detainees from Israeli prisons, and demanded the international community to act and pressure Israel to improve the living conditions of the detainees until they are all released.

palestine | prisoners | news report saed at imemc dot org