One Palestinian political prisoner held in the Israeli desert detention camp of Bir-Shiva was pronounced dead on Friday morning due to medical negligence. Fadeil Shaheen, 48, from the Gaza Strip, serving eight years for being a member of the Fatah movement, resisting the Israeli army occupation. He had served three years of his 8 year sentence. After being diagnosed with diabetes; Palestinian sources said that Shaheen was refused proper medical help by the Israeli prison guards, which led directly to his death today, from heart attack. Issa Qaraqi, a Palestinian MP and head of the committee for political detainees held by Israel, said in the Palestinian parliament, "… the Israeli army had intentionally refused to provide Shaheen with the right treatment which led directly to his death." Qaraqi demanded that a special UN committee investigates the death of Shaheen. The Palestinian Political Prisoners Society issued a statement on Friday saying that the Israeli army does not provide the Palestinian political detainees with medical help, as way to further punish detainees. Shaheen is the 195th Palestinian Political detainee to die in Israeli jail since 1967. Translated by Ghassan Bannoura – IMEMC News
