Palestinian detainee dies of heart failure after being denied medical treatment

Monday June 11, 2007 11:04 by Saed Bannoura - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group

Maher Ata Dandan, 38, a detainee in Israel's Jelbou'a prison, died early Sunday morning of heart failure, after having been repeatedly denied treatment for anemia.

An Israeli detention camp for Palestinians

The Hamas party in Palestine immediately issued a statement calling Dandan's death a type of 'extrajudicial execution' by Israeli authorities. The statement also called the death a 'crime against humanity' carried out by the State of Israel.

The statement claimed that Israel deliberately neglects the health needs of the Palestinians being held in its detention facilities, many of whom are being held without charge. That claim has been reiterated by a number of human rights groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, who have expressed grave concern at the lack of medical treatment for Palestinian detainees.

Maher Dandan, from Balata refugee camp in the northern part of the West Bank, had served eight years of a 21-year sentence when he died Sunday morning. He had been diagnosed with anemia, which developed into angina. Left untreated, despite repeated pleas by both the detainee and his family, it eventually resulted in the heart failure that killed the 38-year old man.

Over 10,000 Palestinians are currently being held in Israeli detention facilities -- many of them are in dire need of medical care. Last week, one prisoner lost an eye in Israeli interrogation, and another lost several fingers from a gas bomb fired by prison guards.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society condemned the death of Dandan, and called for the release of Abdulrahim Jallad, a detainee suffering from cardiac disease and kidney stones, for which he has been denied treatment. The Prisoners Society stated that Jallad's condition is deteriorating, and added that he has not been charged with any crime.

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