Jordan Times
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Prisoners' families stage
sit-in
AMMAN, August 19 (JT) - The families of Jordanian and Palestinian prisoners in
Israeli jails on Wednesday staged a sit-in outside the United Nations office in
Amman to show solidarity with a hunger strike against the inhuman treatment of
detainees by the Israeli authorities.
The demonstrators raised posters demanding an end to Israeli oppression against
the 8,000 inmates who include women and children, and called on the Jewish state
to respect their human rights.
During the sit-in, which was organized by the Higher Coordinating Committee of
the opposition political parties, the protesters handed UN officials a letter
addressed to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan demanding the release of all
Palestinian and Arab detainees and urging the UN to pressure Israel to respect
the Geneva Convention's provisions with regard to the prisoners.
The letter demanded that the UN set up an international committee to conduct a
fact-finding mission to investigate the condition of Palestinian and Arab
prisoners in Israeli jails, who the protestors said, are exposed to inhuman
treatment.
The letter also demanded that the UN impose sanctions on Israel and force it to
comply with the will of the international community.
Minister of State and Government Spokesperson Asma Khader on Monday urged Israel
to respect the human rights of the Palestinian prisoners.
Israel has taken steps to try and break the strike and on Wednesday released a
black and white film, apparently of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti eating
in his cell with the door and window covered with a cloth. The film was dated
Aug. 17 in the right-hand corner, according to the Associated Press.
Khader Shkirat, one of Barghouti's lawyers, said the Israelis used an old film
of Barghouti. According to AP, Shkirat said he visited Barghouti in prison on
Tuesday, the day the film was supposedly made, and found him in “terrible
shape.”
Palestinian prisoners began the strike on Sunday in protest over conditions in
Israeli jails. In announcing the hunger strike, the Palestinian Prisoners
Society accused Israel of denying them their rights and treating them in an
inhuman manner.
Apart from the Palestinian inmates, an estimated 25 Jordanians are being held in
Israeli prisons on political and security charges. Another 18 are reportedly
missing.