The women’s representative in the al-Ramle prison for women, Amina Mona, in an affidavit given to LAW lawyer Fahmi Shkeirat on Tuesday has accused the prison administration of extremely critical medical negligence, threatening a woman with deportation, and serious abuse.

There are 26 Palestinian women in the al-Ramle prison, including 8 girls, 4 administrative detainees and one woman from the Israeli Occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Asma Sibaaneh (45), from Jenin Refugee Camp, arrested on February 11, has cancer. However, Amina, the women’s representative, said that she has not been given medical treatment, despite a doctor’s report confirming she has the deadly disease.

The case of Iman Ghizawi

LAW lawyer Fahmi Shkeirat also met with Iman Ghizawi from Tulkarem. Iman (27), married and mother of four, was arrested a year and a half ago, accused of transporting a bomb and placing it in a bus station. Iman suffers from severe pain in her teeth. Prior to her arrest, she had teeth inserted artificially. They fell out while in prison.

In late January this year, the pain in Iman’s teeth flared up again, and she was not able to eat or drink. To this day, it causes her pain. On February 2, Iman was told that she would be taken to a doctor. To her surprise, she was then told she was actually going to be taken to the Salem prison near Jenin to testify against her husband. She refused to go to court. One of the women then negotiated with a prison guard, and then she was taken to a dentist, who informed of her that she would have to remove her teeth.

However, the guard insisted that she go to court. Iman refused, telling him that she felt extreme pain and could not ride in the bus. She was attacked by prison guards who beat her on her hands and feet and dragged her by force to the bus. She was left in the bus from 10am to 3pm, and then gave a five-minute statement, and returned to the al-Ramle prison.

Her condition had worsened to the extent that she was taken to a doctor, again, who told her that she was suffering from a lack of adequate nutrition. However, he did not give her any medical treatment.

On returning to the prison, Iman fainted. The prisoners tried to help her, giving her food and warming her up, without result. Later, she was not able to stand for the prison count. Only on March 3 was Iman taken to a doctor who gave her a nutritional injection.

The women’s representative, Amina told LAW that at one state, a protest was organized after the prison administration refused to allow one of the women to go to hospital for urgent treatment.

Threats of deportation

A mother of two, Asma Salih (26) from Silwad, north-east Ramallah is also being threatened with deportation, as she does not have an Israeli card affirming she is a resident of the West Bank, nor a Palestinian ID card.

Asma Salih was arrested on February 2 as a hostage, along with three of her brothers-in-law, to force her husband Ibrahim Hamed to give himself up to the Israeli army, who claims he is ‘wanted’.

Family visits denied

Amina told LAW lawyer Shkeirat that family visits are still forbidden as a punishment for protesting the isolation of five girls for a week without water to wash even their faces, and were only given their clothes
after they were soaked in the rain.

No education

Women and girl prisoners in high school and university are unable to continue their studies, Amina told LAW and are not allowed to do their exams.

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