Female detainees, abuse and humiliation

Lawyer of the Palestinian Supporters Society, Sana’ Harbawi, said that female detainees in Israeli prisons are facing inhuman treatment, humiliation and abuse.

“The detainees are repeatedly searched by the soldiers in provocative ways, and deprived of their visitation rights, yet are facing very tough living conditions”, Harbawi said.

Female detainees in Hasharon detention are facing the worst conditions, Harabwi stated, and added that they are suffering from bad health conditions, reflecting negative effects on their physiological health.

Harbawi met with detainees Ekram al-Tawil, Hiba Yaghmour, Amna Mona, Qahira al-Sa’adi, Amal Jom’a, Taghreed al-Sa’adi, and Manal Ghanim.

“Manal is going through a very tough psychological condition, her child, who was born in detention, will be taken away from her after three months, she appeals humanitarian organizations to release her in order to take care of her son, who does not know anybody in this world, except her”, Harbawi added.

The child, Nour, is also suffering from detention; humidity is affecting his health, in addition to the rats and bugs spread in the cold rooms the detainees are placed in.

Detainee Ekram al-Tawil said that the effects are clearly apparent on Nour, which is escalating fear among the detainees, especially his mother, regarding the health and welfare of the child.

“The conditions in Israeli prisons are very bad, these prisons lack the basic elements needed for human living; bugs, rats, insects, and humidity are considered some of the main problems and fears the detainees have to encounter on daily basis”, Harbawi stated.

The detainees told Harbawi that soldiers continuously attack them in their rooms, conduct provocative searches by touching them and in many cases forcing them to undress “for security reasons”.

“They search us using every means they want, they touch us, and even search or mouths, under the tongues, ears, between the fingers, and whatever crosses their minds, its just unbelievable…” a detainee said.

Medical conditions are very bad, which is a common issue in every detention camp and prison; the detainees are deprived from their medication rights, which negatively affects their health conditions, in addition to the bad food provided to them.

Several detainees are deprived from their visitation rights; the administration does not provide any explanation for barring them from having visitations and only says that it is “for security reasons”.

The detainees are still there, in detention, subjected to all sorts of violations and deprived of the basic rights of the detainees guaranteed by the international law.

They appeal the International community, humanitarian organizations, to interfere and observe closely the harsh conditions they face, the continuous violations and abuse, they demand to be treated as humans, to be granted their rights as political detainees.

If there is one Guantanamo prison in Cuba, there are dozens of Guantanamos in Palestine, yet the Israeli prison authorities resume their violations, their abuse, knowing that they can do whatever they desire, since their actions are not monitoring by the International Community, or ignored which is giving them a free hand to act and violate the rights of the detainees. 

Amin Abu Warda, PNN