The Palestinian Prisoner Society )PPS) is currently preparing to send a delegation of lawyers to visit Palestinian political prisoners in Al Naqab (Negev Desert) Prison inside southern Israeli borders.
The visit comes in the wake of a hunger strike by prisoner Essam Faiz Aufa of Tulkarem.
Aufa has declared a hunger strike for two day after he was repeatdly beaten by Israeli soldiers and prison officials.
In addition to the cruel treatment he has endured while at Israeli Al Naqab Prison, Aufa also noted the injuries he suffered prior to his arrest, which included being shot in the leg.
The lawyers’ visit to Al Naqab Prison comes in a time of criticism against Israeli prison officials for the poor and degrading living conditions that Palestinian prisons face while in captivity.
The list of complaints and abuses coming from the prisoners is no less tragic than it is long.
Detainees at Al Naqab complain of screams, beatings, insults, and verbal abuse. Unfortunately, these prisoners also face more untraditional abuse as well. Many prisoners are denied cigarettes and access to special diet food, such as low-sodium food for prisoners with health problems. Prisoners are also facing refusal to be able to use the toilet.
The PPPS stresses that those living conditions face by Palestinian prisoners in Al Naqab fall short of the required standards of detention and arrest accepted internationally, besides the fact that it contravenes the Fourth Geneva Convention on several levels.
The delegation of lawyers visiting the prison includes: Mohammad Hussein Awad of Tulkarem, Osama Hussein Awad of Tulkarem, Assem Abdel Raziq of Nablus, Abd Al Rahim Mohammad Yasin of Tulkarem, Fadi Mohammed Daoud of Qalqilia, Yusuf Mohammad Youssef of Habla, Malik Mohammad Salim of Habla, Ismail Faiz Abdullah of Tulkarem, and Omar Abu Sado Ashtioi of Tulkarem.
