Palestinian detainees carry hunger strike in protest to medical neglect

Wednesday August 01, 2007 22:59 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC

Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities carried a one-day hunger-strike on Wednesday in protest to the Israeli policies of medical neglect of all detainees. The protest was carried out after detainee Shadi Al Su'edi, 27, from Al Maghazi refugee camp in the Gaza strip died of medical neglect in an Israeli prison on Tuesday.

Free the detainees

The Media Department of the Nafha Society for Defending Human Rights and the Rights of the Detainees reported that 11000 detainees carried a hunger strike on Wednesday in protest to these policies and called on all Palestinian human rights institutions and Palestinians civil society institutions to carry protests against the illegal Israeli practices especially since hundreds of detainees are in immediate need for medical treatment while the Israeli Prison Authority refuses to provide them with the needed medical treatment.

The Wa’ed Society, which is also a society that defends the rights of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, appealed several human rights and medical groups to practice pressure on the Israeli authorities to improve the conditions of the detainees and provide them with the needed medical attention and treatment.

The Society also installed a protest tent on Tuesday in front of the Red Cross Society in Gaza.

Head of the Society, Saber Abu Karsh, warned that the policy of medical neglect is affecting hundreds of sick detainees who need immediate medical attention.

“in light of the deterioration of the conditions of the detainees in Israeli prisons, and the continued medical neglect they face, we appeal all international parties and human rights groups, to intervene and practice pressures on the Israeli government to improve the conditions of the detainees and provide them with all of their international guaranteed rights”, Abu Karsh stated, “All detainees should be freed, without any preconditions or discrimination”.

He also called on all Palestinian factions and human rights groups to place the issue of the detainees as a high priority in order to draw the international attention to this important issue as the detainees continue to face harsh living conditions, torture, abuse and medical neglect.

palestine | prisoners | news report saed at imemc dot org