Rajaa Al Ghoul, a Palestinian prisoner being held by Israeli forces, has a heart condition which, combined with abuse and sub-human living conditions in the prison, have caused her health to deteriorate to the point where she is now on the verge of death, say sources in the Al Resalah Center for Human Rights in Gaza.
Al Ghoul told lawyers from the Al Resala Center that she was arrested by Israeli soldiers on 15 February 2006 at 4:00 am while she was inside her house in Jenin. The soldiers stormed into the house, forced everyone to leave and asked her for her identity card. When they verified it, they asked her to turn her face to the wall and had female soldiers check her thoroughly. Then they shackled her hands and blindfolded her and told her husband she is under arrest. They did not inform Al Ghoul of the charges against her.
She said, "They took me to Salem jail at 6:00 am and kept me out in the cold and heavy rain. When I repeatedly asked to use the toilet, they didn’t allow me for a very long time. Then they threw me down, shackled my feet and moved me to Al jalam prison. "
Mrs. Al Ghoul told the prison guards that she has a severe heart disease, and the prison doctor took X-rays that verified her claim.
The guards then interrogated Mrs. Al Ghoul about her advocacy work for the relatives of prisoners.
"The interrogation lasted five days, during the sixth day, I told the interrogators I would only speak before the judge. When I said that, the interrogator called the policeman and instructed him to tighten the shackles around my feet. After tightening the shackles so my blood pressure was raised, they put me through a lie detector test. The interrogator claimed that the lie detector test showed that I was lying, but I know these tests only show if your blood pressure is raised due to stress. My blood pressure was only raised because of the tight shackles and my health condition", Mrs. Al Ghoul told Al Resalah’s Lawyer.
Mrs. Al Ghoul protested his claim, asking that the result be sent to Tel Aviv for further clarification. After that request, the soldier blindfolded her and switched on the air conditioner even though the weather was very cold, worsening her sickness.
The Al Resalah center for Human Rights appealed to all human rights and humanitarian institutions to put pressure on the Israeli government to stop its grave and illegal violations against the Palestinian prisoners.
