PSC Criticizes Barring Hunger-Strikers from Seeing Lawyers

Prisoners' Studies Criticizes Barring Hunger-Strikers From Seeing Lawyers

Prisoners' Studies Center warned of the danger of the Zionist prison administration preventing lawyers from visiting hunger-striking prisoners, as happened with the lawyer for prisoners Bilal Diab, Jaafar Izz al-Din and Thaer Halahlah, in spite of having official authorizations registered with the competent authorities.

In a statement on Monday, the center said that there are real worries about isolating hunger-striking prisoners from the outside world, as well as about the exercise of threats and pressures on them to force them to end their strikes, with no outcome.

Furthermore, ex-prisoner Rafat Hamdouna, the director of the Prisoners' Studies center and member of the Prisoners Committee of the National and Islamic Forces, asserted that preventing lawyers' visits breaches laws and international conventions, and is considered to be an obvious violation of international humanitarian law. He added that the prisoners are preparing for a strategic step towards recovering their rights amidst the crimes committed against them in prisons like direct and indirect murder, such as dozens of cases caused by medical neglect and torture during interrogation, as well as forced strip searches, solitary confinement, denial of visitation rights, denial of education and access to lawyers, destruction of prisoners’ property, and violently abusing them.

As Palestinian Prisoners' Day approaches, Hamdouna demanded the civilized world, the parliaments of democratic states,' the Red Cross, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League as the representative of all Arabs, the United Nations, Palestinian civil rights and humanitarian institutions, and all associations and centers concerned with prisoners to participate in Palestinian Prisoners' Day on the 17th April to save the prisoners' lives from a slow death caused by the occupation.

Hamdouna appealed to the international community, and concerned institutions and centers in solidarity with prisoners, to intervene to ensure the protection of Palestinian and Arab prisoners under the international agreements which are violated by Israel.

11/4/2012

ENDS

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