There are 29 Palestinian female prisoners currently held under “harsh conditions” in Israeli jails and they are subjected to a systematic policy of medical negligence, Addameer, a Palestinian prisoners’ support and human rights group, said.
Releasing the figures ahead of tomorrow’s International Women’s Day, the human rights organisation took the opportunity to raise awareness of the plight of two 16-year-old teenagers who are among those detained.
It noted that seven female prisoners are injured and 15 suffer from various health issues, in addition to six mothers, two minors, and a female prisoner who are under administrative detention. This allows the occupation authorities to hold them for renewable periods of six-months without charge or trial. “Secret evidence” is provided to the Photo Courtesy of Freedom Archives court for this purpose and their lawyers are unable to see it.
Addameer added that 15 female prisoners are still held under pre-trial detention and are awaiting their hearings in Israeli courts, stressing that there are no guarantees that they will have fair trials.
The statement comes after Israeli prison officers raided some of the women’s cells last month while cutting off the electricity supply to the unit. Prisoners refused to leave the unit during the search, so the guards dragged them out, causing some of their hijabs – headscarves – to fall from their heads.
The prison was placed on a state of ‘high alert’ after authorities claimed they received “specific warnings” concerning the intention of some prisoners to carry out operations against the repressive measures carried out in the occupation’s prisons.
Palestinian prisoners and their families are persecuted, harassed and routinely intimidated by Israeli occupation authorities.
There are 4,700 Palestinians in Israeli jails, of whom 551 are serving life sentences, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club.