Urgent letter to the Human Rights organizations and the International Community on the conditions of Negev prison
The occupying state is practicing repression against Palestinian detainees in the Israeli jails in the past few months, where Ofer prison witnessed unprecedented attacks of its sections in which jailers used gas and sound bombs in addition to rubber coated bullets. This act led to the injury of 150 detainees who have been taken to hospitals or to the clinic of the prison.
The repressive policy carried out by the prison services seems to conform to the recommendations of Jel'aad Ardan "the Minister of the internal security" which requested to suppress the Palestinian detainees.
During the past weeks, the administration of prisons installed jammers in the sections of Negev prison under the pretext that the Palestinian detainees have mobile devices. However, Palestinian detainees started to complain about the effects caused by the waves and radiations of this device. Yesterday, the Israeli forces broke into section 4 at Negev prison and started to transfer detainees to section 3. Tension prevailed at section 7, where news reported that the process of transfer was accompanied by violence against detainees. Detainees tried to defend themselves, and they were repressed by the prison services that used gas and sound bombs and rubber coated bullets. Furthermore, many detainees got wounded such as Isalm Yousri and Oday Salem.
The Israeli forces kept some of the detainees handcuffed all over the night in section 3, 4, and 7. However, the situation in Negev prison got worse, where the attacks began in section 21, 22 and 23.
We in the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees' Affairs realize the seriousness of the incidents in Negev prison, where 1300 Palestinian detainees are held in cruel conditions. In addition, we believe that the attacks practiced against our detainees emphasize the dangerous and repressive policy carried out by the prisons' services. We call on you and you organizations to work and intervene immediately to lift the injustice and save our detainees.
Best regards
Qadri Abu Baker
The head of the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees' Affairs