IPU pledges to take legal action against Israel for violating prisoners’ rights

IPU pledges to take legal action against Israel for violating prisoners’ rights

Ingeborg Schwarz, the secretary of the human rights committee of the inter-parliamentary union (IPU), pledged to file lawsuits against Israel for its violation of the international humanitarian law regarding the imprisonment conditions of Palestinian prisoners in its jails.

Mohamed Radwan, the head of the international communication department of the higher committee for the support of prisoners, said Wednesday that he received a letter from Schwarz in this regard in reply to a letter sent earlier by the department, in which it explained the violations committed by Israel against the Palestinian prisoners in its jails.

Radwan added that the IPU called on the higher committee for the support of prisoners to send details about the violations and testimonies of prisoners exposed to such abuses and said in its letter it would demand the Israeli Knesset to necessarily end the violations against Palestinian prisoners.

In a related matter, Wa’ed society for detainees and ex-detainees said the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are determined to go on their third hunger strike on 27 April.

The society added that the prisoners will not pay attention or care about the threats they received from the different prison administrations about taking severe punitive measures against them if their strike continues

In another context, the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) released Wednesday morning former Palestinian minister Wasfi Qabha after he spent 35 months in prison.

Wasfi was kidnapped in May 2007 in the context of a broad campaign waged by Israel at the time against Palestinian lawmakers and ministers