IOA extends administrative detention of Palestinian scientist

IOA extends administrative detention of Palestinian scientist

The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) extended the administrative detention of Palestinian scientist Isam Al-Ashqar, 52, for four months as he was lying on his sickbed in the prison hospital.

Al-Ahrar center for prisoners’ studies strongly denounced the IOA for extending the detention of Ashqar, pointing out that the scientist is dying slowly as a result of many serious illnesses he is suffering from and the policy of medical neglect pursued against him.

Director of the center Fouad Al-Khafsh said that the scientist was administratively detained in March 2008 in Megiddo prison and his detention had been extended four times since then.
 
Khafsh added that the IOA brought an Israeli judge to the hospital, who extended the administrative detention of the scientist as he was on his sickbed.

The IOA also extended the administrative detention of prisoner Ihab Al-Qawasmeh from Al-Khalil city for six months.

Sources close to Al-Qawasmeh family told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that the IOA informed the prisoner about the extension decision for the second consecutive time without leveling any charges against him.

In a related context, an international human rights organization affirmed that there are many Palestinian prisoners in critical medical conditions in Ramle prison who are not receiving appropriate medical care.

Lawyer of Mandela institute for human rights Buthaina Duqmaq, who lately visited Ramle prison, said on Sunday that there are prisoners suffering from serious and critical illnesses and in need of constant medical attention or surgeries in specialized hospitals.
 
Duqmaq added that most of these cases were caused by the severe torture and physical abuse used against the prisoners by Israeli interrogators as well as the high humidity inside prisons and the medical neglect policy.
 
She noted that the clinics inside Israeli jails in general lack the minimum health and medical services either with regard to the equipment or specialist doctors.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials and speakers at a ceremony held in Khan Younis in solidarity with prisoner Yahya Sinwar appealed for urgent and serious international moves to save the lives of more than 1,500 patients in Israeli jails.

Different speakers at the ceremony highlighted the suffering of Palestinian prisoners especially the patients and the Israeli arbitrary policies and measures pursued against them in prison.

During the ceremony, Hamas lawmaker Younis Al-Astal said that the Movement of Hamas will never forsake the Palestinian prisoners and will continue its efforts to capture more Israeli soldiers until the liberation of all detainees from Israeli jails.

Astal expressed his optimism that the freedom of the Palestinian prisoners is imminent and Palestine will be liberated from the occupation in the coming years.