ei: Palestinian dies in Israeli detention

Palestinians hold pictures of relatives jailed in Israeli prisons during a protest in front of the Red Cross offices in Gaza City, December 2007. (Wissam Nassar/MaanImages)

Palestinian prisoner Fadi Abd al-Latif Abu al-Rob (21) from the town of Qabatia near Jenin died in the Israeli prison of Jalbou' on the evening of 28 December 2007. The prisoner was a member of Islamic Jihad detained on 29 June 2007.

According to information gathered by PCHR, Fadi suffered an illness on the morning of the day he died. He was transferred to the prison clinic. However, his condition deteriorated and the Israeli Prisons Authority announced his death in the evening without specifying the cause.

Fadi is the fifth Palestinian prisoner to die in Israeli jails during 2007. Four died as a result of medical negligence and the fifth was shot in the head by an anti-riot unit that broke into sections G1 and G2 of the Ketziot (Ansar III) detention center in the Negev.

It is noted that Palestinian prisoners are suffering very harsh and cruel conditions as a result of the deterioration in prison conditions and in the healthcare provided. These conditions violate Articles 22 and 26 of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. In addition, Israeli authorities impose restrictions to place more pressure on prisoners, and deprive them of their visitation rights.

PCHR calls upon the international community to put an end to the suffering of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and detention center under conditions that violate International Humanitarian Law. In light of the death of Fadi Abu al-Rob and the harsh conditions of Palestinian prisoners due to Israeli systematic policies of torture, medical negligence, and inhumane treatment, PCHR calls upon:

The Israeli Prisons Authority to form an independent commission to investigate the death of Fadi Abu al-Rob, and to announce the results.
The International Committee of the Red Cross to establish a special medical committee to investigate the health conditions of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.
The international community and relevant international humanitarian organizations to provide the minimum basic requirements of life and health care for thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

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