Under very difficult conditions, the three brothers Ra’fat, Izzat, and Mohammad Amin Turkman are imprisoned by the Israeli Authorities, while Ra’fat and Izzat are suffering from bad health conditions and denied medication. Ahmad Ameen, a fourth brother who was freed on Wednesday after being imprisoned for two and a half years stated that his brothers are facing harsh living conditions while the prison administrating repeatedly attacks the detainees, and denies medication to the ailing ones.
Ahmad said that his brother Ra’fat, 32, is suffering from a chronic disease in his stomach and that his health condition had deteriorated after he was abducted by the army on February 19, 2003.
Ra’fat was sentenced to 10 years and is currently imprisoned on Shatta detention facility. He needs immediate medical treatment and a surgery but the prison administration is rejecting to transfer him to hospital.
Ahmad added that his brother Izzat, 28, is in Hadarim prison and that he was taken prisoner in April 2003. Izzat was sentenced to two life-terms and additional 30 years.
He was captured after he was shot by the army and was not provided with the needed treatment. His health condition continues to decline especially since he was tortured and interrogated in spite of his injury.
The third detained brother, Mohammad, 21, is currently detained in Shatta and was sentenced to 15 years.
Mohammad is also suffering from several health problems and not receiving any medical treatment.
The family, living in Be’er Al Basha, near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, appealed several human rights groups to intervene and practice pressure on the Israeli authorities in order to stop these violations and provide the three brothers with the needed medical treatment.
At least 10.000 Palestinians are imprisoned by Israel and are confined in several detention facilities and prisons.
Currently there are approximately 380 Palestinian children imprisoned by Israel, while a significant number of them are still awaiting trial or sentence, and others who are serving lengthy periods of imprisonment for such minor offences as stone throwing.
Since Israel occupied the Palestinian territories in 1967, at least 182 Palestinian detainees died in Israeli prisons, 69 of them died as a result of torture and 70 died during interrogation.
