Coming soon.

A Women in Black (Vienna) vigil demanding freedom for
political prisoners. April 1, 2005.

Dear Adameer members,

Women’s Organization for Political Prisoner (WOFPP) collected signatures to a petition for the immediate release of Manal. Now there are some 200 individual signatories and 13 organizations.

We submitted the petition with the signatures to the Israeli commander in chief, the Defense Minister and to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Below : the petition with the signatures. We hope that it will help the campaign to release Manal. We will continue to organize activities for Manal’s release. We support the release of all the Palestinian political prisoners.

Sincerely
Hava Keller
Tirtza Tauber

The petition (we sent the petition with the Addameer press release):

Women’s Organization for Political Prisoners (WOFPP) joins the campaign launched by Addameer (Addameer Prisoners’ Support and Human Rights Association, situated in Ramallah) to free Manal Ghanim. Below is WOFPP’s petition calling for the immediate release of Manal. We invite you to join this petition as a private person and/or an organization.

To join the petition send your name and/or the name of your organization to: trn1@zahav.net.il or call: +972-3-5227124.

Free Manal!

Manal Naji Mahmoud Ghanim, 29 years old, mother of four, from Tulkarem Refugee Camp, was arrested in April 2003 by the Israeli army and sentenced in a military court in the occupied West Bank to 50 months in prison. Manal, who suffers from Thalasemia, was arrested when pregnant and shortly after that gave birth to her son Nour. Nour is now a year and half old. Both are held in Hasharon Prison (Telmond).

The prison authorities do not provide Manal and her son with the necessary medical care, nor do they provide Nour with adequate food or toys. The prison authorities even refuse to let the family bring any toys for Nour. In addition to the daily suffering in prison, it happens, as on November 28, 2004, that the wardens attack the women prisoners with tear gas and water hoses. While such a violent act represents severe harassment for all the prisoners, for a baby it actually is a real danger. In fact, Nour was ill for at least six weeks following this attack.

Manal has another two sons and a daughter. The younger boy, 7-years old Maged, suffers from sickle cell anemia. Due to his health condition, he needs hospitalization every ten days. At these times, Maged desperately needs his mother’s support.

We, the undersigned, are seriously concerned about the deterioration of Manal’s, Nour’s and their family’s health, caused by Manal’s continuous imprisonment. We demand to immediately free Manal Naji Mahmoud Ghanim.

Following is a summary of a report from an Israeli public defenders office published in May 2004. The report addressed the conditions of detention and incarceration in Israeli police stations and facilities of the Israeli Prison Authority. The report was prepared after the public defenders office undertook 15 visits to detention centers and three visits to prisons in 2003. It covers the conditions of incarceration of both criminal and political prisoners. Comments from Addameer are included as notes.

The general conditions in these facilities as seen during the majority of the visits were very poor. These conditions represent a clear violation of both the requirements of the law and Israeli court decisions regarding living conditions. The Israeli High Court of Justice has given the concerned parties until 1 June 2004 to apply the minimal standards such as providing a bed for each detainee.

Detention Centers

1. Prisoners sleeping on the ground

Detainees were sleeping on the floor without a bed in 9 of the 15 detention centers visited by the committee of the public defenders office. For example, during the first visit to the Russian Compound, 35 detainees were sleeping on the floor and 18 detainees continued to sleep on the floor during the second visit.

Note: Palestinian political detainees sleep on the floor in all detention and interrogation centers.

2. Size of the rooms and the living conditions in them

More than half the detention centers are over crowded: 20 detainees in the Russian Compound are held in a room with only 12 beds. The space allocated for each detainee is considered much less than that required in the internal regulations for detention centers. In Ramle Detention Center, the allocated space per detainee is 1 meter, and each detainee in Lod Detention Center is allocated 1.2 meters.

Note: According to a sworn affidavit given to Addameer on 25 April 2004 regarding the conditions at Azion Detention Center:

The cell is designed for 10 persons and we were 12 detainees. The room measures 4 x 4 meters, there are 10 mattresses in the room - some are in very bad condition, they’re ripped and smell bad. Some are covered and others aren’t. One mattress is moldy and is dirt black. Each detainee has one blanket. The walls are smooth and painted but the ceiling is covered with mould, there is only one light from a window measuring 1.50 or 1.10 square meters. It has metal bars and glass wiring, the ventilation is insufficient. We go out for a walk once a day for an hour. In the morning, we only go out for 10 minutes. We can only use the bathroom three times a day; sometimes the soldiers won’t let us out more than three times so we have to urinate in a bottle in the room.

The average size of rooms in most prisons is 2 meters, although it is sometimes as large as 2.5 or 3 meters. The rooms in Askelan Detention Center are 8 x 6 meters and 8 persons are held there, some large rooms hold up to 20 detainees.

3. The lack of separation between the shower and the toilet

There is no separation between the shower and the toilet in 11 of the 15 detention centers that were visited. The shower drain is the same as the toilet drain, which causes bad smells that are difficult to get rid of. This is harmful to the detainees health who complained to the members of the committee of the public defenders office of the existence of insects and mice in the rooms and courtyards. The delegates saw these insects themselves when they visited the Jalame Detention Center. The walls are filthy and unpainted. The ceiling is black and damp. The floor is filthy and full of dirt in Maabar Nitsan, although the rooms were in better condition during the second visit. This is also the situation in central prisons such as Askelan where “the toilet and shower are in the same 1 x 2 meter room.”

4. Unacceptable ventilation

The committee found that the ventilation was unacceptable in 10 of the 15 centers visited. The smell was unbearable inside the room. In the Lod Police Station there are no windows at all, there is only one air vent that is out of order.

5. The deprivation of the right to a daily break in an open space

The law stipulates that no person should be detained for more than seven days in a center where there is no possibility of executing his/her right to a daily break. Therefore the Israeli Prison Authority must transfer him/her to another facility where s/he can execute his/her right to a daily break. The detainees are deprived of this right in 8 of the 15 centers visited. During most visits, there were detainees who had been deprived of their right to a daily break for period ranging between seven days to two months. There are no special courtyards for the walks in the Lod and Dimona Detention Centers.

Note: The daily break was reduced from 4 hours to 2 hours, one in the morning and one in the evening, in all the central prisons. The exercise hour has been banned in prisons since July 2003. All the sports material was removed from the metal-roofed courtyards, which measure 15-25 by 20 meters. It is forbidden to return to the room immediately after the daily break. A water fridge was installed in the courtyard at Askelan. Before 2003 there was table tennis, basket ball and volley ball equipment in the yard, but now the detainees run during the daily break. Each section goes out on the daily break alone. All sections have between 70-80 detainees, and there are 120 detainees in certain prisons. Visits between the sections are forbidden despite the fact that they are only 4-5 meters from each other. The detainees at Askelan don’t know anything about the detainees in the other sections. Not all the detainees pray together during the Friday prayer which is permitted in place of the daily break in Hadoriym

6. Weak lighting in the rooms

No sunlight enters the rooms in the Lod Detention Center. The light is prevented from entering the rooms in the Russian Compound, where the rooms are completely covered.

7. Use of the telephone and/or receiving visits is not allowed

Detainees held until the end of the proceedings have the right to make one phone call a day. Nevertheless, the possibility of making a phone call from the pay phone at the Haifa Police Station or port police is extremely limited. Detainees are often punished by being denied family visits. The director of the Emakim Detention Center, allowed detainees to receive visits, but the two visiting rooms are very small. The detainee is separated from his visitors by a wire mesh and a window. The distance between the detainee and his family or visitors is 120 centimeters. The conversation is carried out using internal phones. The visibility and possibility of conversation are limited. (See the statement on lawyers and family visits.)

8. The Clinic and the right to treatment

There have been problems with detainees receiving treatment in 3 of 15 centers visited. There are no adequate health and/or psychological services. The children detainees in the Ansar 3 (Ketziot) complained of the lack of specialized medical services, and those who had a cold had to wait for four days to see the nurse.

9. The delay in transferring detainees through the Nitsan entrance

The process of transferring detainees in order to attend court hearings is difficult and problematic. The committee recalled the case of a detainee from Hadoriym who was transferred to Nitsan on Thursday because his hearing was on Sunday in Petah Tikva, which is 40 minutes away from Hadoriym. He spent the night at the Nitsan entrance in very poor conditions. The judge ordered after ruling on the detainee’s petition that he be transferred immediately from Hadoriym to Petah Tikva to attend his hearing.

Note: Palestinian political prisoners complain of the frequent, difficult and humiliating conditions of their transfer, whether it is from one prison to another, or in order to attend their trials. This creates a feeling of instability because most of the security detainees currently in prison are detained but have not yet been convicted. For example, the transfer of a detainee from Nafha to attend his trial in Salem can take up to a week, since the prisoner is transferred from Nafha to Ramle then to Jalama. After that he attends his trial after having spent a night in each center. After the trial, the detainee has to spend a night in Jalame, then Ramle until he reaches Nafha. One detainee, Walid Habbas, is transferred nearly every 20 days from one prison to another. In the past two months he was transferred to four prisons. Nearly 20-30 detainees are transferred weekly from Askelan.

10. The delay in transferring prisoners to the prison authority

The delay in transferring detainees who have been charged or sentenced to the facilities of the prison authorities is a violation of their rights. It also increases the crowding of detainees in detention centers, obstructs the execution of the law, and limits the detainees’ rights inside the facilities of the prison authority. The delegates of the committee found that of the 199 detainees in Russian Compound, 23 had been sentenced and should have been transferred to a prison facility. During another visit there were 176 detainees, 38 of which were sentenced and should have been transferred to the facilities of the prison authorities.

The Central Prisons

The committee visited three prisons: Shatta, Tesalmon and Harmon. The public defenders office stated Shatta is extremely crowded, and the space allocated for each detainee is substantially less than the space ordered by internal regulations.

Solitary confinement/Isolation rooms
Committee delegates mentioned the case of two prisoners who were punished by being isolated for a week in the Shatta Prison. They spent the first 24 hours in a room without a mattress or a bed. Sixty-two (62) criminal prisoners and 11 political prisoners were sleeping on the floor on the day the committee visited Shatta. The committee described the conditions in the rooms as difficult and incompatible with the minimum standards in the regulations, especially regarding health and sanitation. The walls are rotten, the paint is peeling off because of the dampness in the filthy rooms, and the ventilation is bad in several rooms filled sewer smells. These conditions do not include the new political prisoner section.

Political prisoners are held in isolation in Section 8 of Beer al-Sabe and in three sections of Hadarim. Prisoners are deprived of their right to an education in the isolation section in Hadarim. Prisoners are prevented from continuing thier education if they have “security problems” or if they contact a university themselves. Prisoners are often punished by being deprived from continuing their education for a period lasting up to a year.

Note: Political prisoners are held in isolation in Section 8 of Beer al-Sabe and in three sections of Hadarim. Prisoners are deprived from their right to an education in the isolation section in Hadarim. The prisoner is prevented from continuing his education if he has “security problems” or if he contacted a university or for any other reason. The punishment includes depriving the prisoners from continuing their education for a period up to a year.

The number of prisoners in solitary confinement does not exceed the tens in Nafha, Beer al-Sabe, Askelan. The following are the names of prisoners in solitary confinement:

1. Ahmad Shoukri, from Ramallah, was sentenced to life imprisonment and has been in solitary confinement for nine years. At the beginning, he was isolated for four years as a punishment for beating a nurse while in temporary detention. This was renewed for four years then he was returned to the sections. He asked to be isolated and has now been in solitary confinement for more than nine years, five of which have been based on his request. Two weeks ago, he was attacked by the police due to a dispute with them and was transferred to Rimonim.
2. Hani Rasmi Jaber, from Hebron, has spent 26 months in isolation. His location has not yet been determined.
3. Zaher Jabbarin, of Nablus, is currently in Beer al-Sabe Prison. He spent one year in solitary confinement in the same cell in which Yigal Amir had been detained, which is equipped with cameras. He is serving a life sentence, of which he has served 14 years.
4. Mahmoud Issa, from Jerusalem, was detained in solitary confinement in Beer al-Sabe. He says there are mice and cockroaches in his cell, which has one window, a toilet, and a shower.
5. Naser Mousa Oweis, of Nablus, has spent one and a half years in solitary confinement. He was sentenced to life sentence, and has been in prison for two years.
6. Mousa Doudine, from Hebron, is being held in Beer al-Sabe. He has spent one year in solitary confinement, and has served 10 years of his life sentence.
7. Ahmad Barghouti, of Ramallah, has spent one year in solitary confinement in Beer al-Sabe. He has been in prison for two years.

The religious rights
The religious needs of all the prisoners are not met. Although there is a rabbi and a place for prayer for Jewish detainees, there is no religious representative for Muslim or Christian detainees, despite the fact that the majority of prisoners are Muslim.

Violence at the hands of the prison guards
The public defenders office delegates referred to the extreme violence by the prison guards as a “new phenomenon”. There have been many complaints from prisoners about untreated or severe violence by the guards. Committee members heard many claims regarding the use of collective punishment against the political prisoners by the guards. They complained about mass searches of their rooms, and punishments accompanied by severe, continuous, and organized violence.

There have been complaints from prisoners who have been asked to get undressed in front of their fellow prisoners and the police, often accompanied by personal punishment, physical violence and beating all over the body. Committee members questioned the prison doctor about these incidents and requested photos to document the injuries. The doctor and the prison officer refused to let the committee look at the pictures in the prisoners’ medical files - a response which seemed incomprehensible to the members of the committee.

The committee stated that this information should be handled with caution, but one must not turn a blind eye to the number and the repeated complaints because of the fear of the administration’s lack of concern regarding these complaints.

Finally, prison conditions in Israel are difficult, violate the prisoners’ health and dignity, and are contrary to the laws and regulations regarding the conditions of detention.

Note: Special police forces break into the prisoners’ rooms at night, armed with guns and batons, and fire bullets that resemble rubber bullets that don’t pierce the body but leaves bruises and red marks that convince the prisoner he has been injured. They force the prisoners to lie down on the floor, tie their hands, and take them out of their rooms during the search. Last Tuesday, two rooms were broken into and searched at Askelan from 5 am to 11 am. A week ago, the B units broke into rooms at Nafha.

The naked body search is used in several instances (especially in Shatta, where prisoners are forced to take their underwear off too):

1. When the prisoner is transferred to and from Shatta Prison.
2. When he goes out to meet his lawyer.
3. When he goes out to meet his family.
4. When he is transferred to attend his trial or transferred from Shatta to another prison.
5. When he asks to go to the clinic.

In Hadoriym, the prisoner is searched only when he is transferred to and from Hadoriym to attend trials or to be transferred to another prison where he is made to stand naked in front of the police and the other prisoners.

Lawyers face many difficulties when they visit Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Prior to their visits they have to coordinate the visit with the prison’s administration. A list that indicates the names of prisoners that the lawyer intends to visit and a power of attorney must be sent to the prison’s administration. This restricts prisoners’ access to a lawyer.

* Visits to criminal prisoners are easier. The procedures are usually quick. Lawyers generally have their ID cards and briefcases checked quickly before the visit.

* In the case of political prisoners, the lawyer has to send the name of the prisoner he intends to visit, together with a power of attorney. He/she then has to wait for one or two days to receive a response. Lawyers are not allowed to wait inside the prison building. They submit the names of the prisoners they intend to visit and wait outside the prison for long hours. On 24 June 2004, Addameer’s lawyer Mahmoud Hassan had to wait over three hours before being allowed to enter Shatta Prison. Before entering the prison, lawyers are subjected to a personal search, which is sometimes carried out in a humiliating manner. They are forced to take off their shoes to be checked electronically.

* Recently, lawyers have not been allowed to bring their briefcases with them into some of the prisons. For example, in Shkema Prison (’Asqalan) lawyers may not bring their briefcases with them even if they want to attend a detention renewal session. Visits are carried out in special rooms that are restrictive - a physical barrier separates the prisoner and the lawyer. They can not communicate easily and directly: instead, they must communicate through an internal telephone. A prison guard who understands Arabic is usually present in the room. He/she takes notes, despite the decisions of the Israeli High Court regarding the illegality of this act. The High Court held that guards must be at a distance where he/she can see the prisoner but cannot hear the conversation between the prisoner and the lawyer. However, if a lawyer informs a prison guard of this requirement, a fight usually erupts, and the guard argues that he/she received orders from the prison administration to monitor the conversation, with the intention to restrict the prisoner’s and lawyer’s freedom to speak and argue freely.

* Many complaints have been submitted to the prison administration to protest these conditions. Recently, a petition has been submitted to the Attorney General and the Israeli Prisons Authority regarding the presence and behavior of prison guards in the visitation rooms. These officials responded that the guards believed that they were performing their duty, but that they would have them stop such behavior. On 24 June 2004, Addameer’s lawyer, during a visit to a prisoner in Shatta, had to interrupt his conversation with his client many times to ask the guard to move away. The guard went away but then he came back again to listen to the conversation.

* Lawyers usually meet political prisoners in the same room where families meet with their sons who are held criminally. This, of course, hinders the visit and restrains the ability to talk.

Israeli occupying authorities practice collective punishment against the Palestinian families who visit their sons and daughters in Israeli jails. They put as a condition the availability of a permit in order for families to visit their sons and daughters who were transferred to jails inside Israel after Israeli forces had finished redeployment in parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Such transferals violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the individual or collective transfer of protected persons from occupied territory.

Due to internal and external closure imposed over the OPT, Palestinian families must get permits in order to visit prisons inside Israel. Such permits are cancelled during political crises. Many people can not get such permits under security pretexts.

On 21 June 1996, Israeli occupying authorities issued regulations related to prison visits. Under these regulations, only relatives from the first degree may visit prisoners. Therefore parents, wife, husband, may apply to visit and ‘brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons’, who are below 16 and over 45, may also apply to visit, those who do not meet this criteria cannot visit their relatives. Relatives from the second degree, friends, or colleagues are absolutely prevented from visits.

In 2001, prisoners protested against the revocation of permits and the closure imposed over the OPT. It is worth mentioning that visits may not take place unless they are organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Some visits had been organized by the ICRC for prisoners from the Gaza Strip during 2001.

During the visit families are separated from their sons and daughters by a wire mesh or glass barrier. Palestinian prisoners may not be given the opportunity to visit their families at home even in sad occasions like death or sickness. Israeli criminal prisoners are allowed to visit their families during such occasions, and no barriers separate them from their families during visits.

The Israeli Prisons Authority refuses to provide a telephone inside the prison. With the families and other relatives being prevented from visits for months, telephone provision has been one of the most urgent demands for prisoners.

During 2004, prison visits have been resumed in some Palestinian cities after they had been stopped during a nine-month prisoner protest in response to the replacement of the wire mesh that separates prisoners from their visitors with a glass barrier. However, permits are still required for visits and these permits are dependent on the political stability. With this glass barrier, prisoners have to communicate with their visitors by a telephone. The barrier also made it difficult for families to give things like books and foods to the prisoners.

Some of the cases documented by Addameer:

* 110 prisoners from Nablus detained in Askelan have been deprived of visits for three continuous years. Their last visit was in February 2001.

* Detainees Belal Abu ‘Asbeh and Zahran Abu ‘Asbehís mother had her demand to visit her sons rejected under the pretext that they are not her sons. Belal is a sick detainee who spends his detention period in Ramle hospital/prison. The mother had been permitted to visit them before.

* Two weeks ago, only three of 45 families in Jenin succeeded in visiting their detained sons and daughters. Those families were those of Osama Hanani, Hani Ghannam, and Majdi Abu Al- Wafa. Most of the prisoners from Jenin who are held in Askelan have not been visited since 2001. The families who could not visit their families include those of Mu’ayyad Jaradat, Bassam Tahayneh, Muhammad al- Sabbagh, Iyyad Omar and Hazza’ Shreim.

* There are 22-25 prisoners from the Gaza Strip in Askelan Prison. The visit that was scheduled to Askelan Prison on 16 June 2004 was cancelled on the grounds that there were no soldiers to accompany the bus that was supposed to drive families. Families had to wait from 6:00 am until 2:30 pm before they had been informed of this cancellation.

* Following are prisoners from Gaza deprived of visits:

Reyad Sa’ed Issa in Ohaleh Kedar Prison: His mother cannot visit him on security grounds and his father is sick. Muhammad Husni: He has been detained for 17 years thus far. His family has not been able to visit him for the last seven years. He is in Hadarim Prison. Hasan Salameh: His family has not been able to visit him for the last seven years. He is in Shatta Prison. Akram Salameh: His family has not visited him for the last four years despite a court decision that allowed them to visit. His family visited him four years ago upon a court decision. Ibrahim Baroud: He is held in Askelan Prison. His family has not been able to visit him for five years. Yaser al-Khawaja: He is held in Nafha Prison. His family has not been allowed to visit him for the last five years. Ra’fat al-’Arouqi: He is held in Askelan Prison. His family has not been able to visit him for one year.

* There are 70 prisoners from Ramallah in Askelan Prison. Some were visited only once. The visit was in June 2004. Those who were not visited include:

Hasan Salemh, 20: He was deprived of visits for seven years. Mustafa Badarneh: He was deprived of visits for three years. Ibrahim al-’Aqqad Abu Hejleh: He was deprived of visits for three years.

* There are 30 prisoners from Salfit. Some of their families visited their sons during June 2004. following are some of the prisoners who have not been visited for years:

Samer Seif: He has not been visited for four years. Majed al-Dahdouh: He has not been visited for three years. ‘Othman Musleh: He has not been visited for three years.

* There are 40 prisoners from Hebron in Askelan. Only one of them has been visited. Five of them are absolutely banned from visits.

* There are 10 prisoners from Bethlehem in Askelan. Four of them have been visited. Detainees Shaher Salem and Samer Afandi have not been allowed visits.

Since the beginning of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, over 650,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israel. This forms approximately 20% of the total Palestinian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Considering the fact that the majority of those detained are male, the number of Palestinians detained forms approximately 40% of the total male Palestinian population in the OPT.

As of March 2005, there are approximately 7,500 Palestinian political prisoners being held in Israeli prisons. Over 750 of these are administrative detainees, held without charge or trial for indefinite periods of time. 344 of the political prisoners are aged 18 and under, 78 of whom are 16 years and under. There are 115 Palestinian female political prisoners, 19 of whom are mothers and 1 of whom gave birth in prison, with their children remaining in prison with them. Of the total 7,500 political prisoners, 3,800 are being held in civil prisons, with the remaining political prisoners held in Israeli military detention centers and prison camps.

The arrest and detention of Palestinians living within the OPT is governed by a wide-ranging set of military regulations that govern every aspect of Palestinian civilian life. There are approximately 1500 military regulations governing the West Bank and over 1400 governing the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military commander of the region issues military orders, and the issuance of new orders often remains unknown and become apparent when they are implemented, as the military commander may issue new military regulations at any moment.

Palestinians are tried within Israeli military courts located within Israeli military centers in the OPT. These military tribunals are presided over by a panel of three judges appointed by the military, two of who often do not have any legal training or background. These tribunals rarely fall within the required international standards of fair trial.

Israeli prisons and military detention camps are primarily located within the 1948 borders of Israel. There are a total of 5 interrogation centers, 6 detention/holding centers, 3 military detention camps, and about 20 prisons in which Palestinians from the OPT are held. The location of prisons within Israel and the transfer of detainees to locations within the occupying power’s territory are illegal under international law and constitute a war crime. The Fourth Geneva Convention explicitly states that “Protected persons accused of offences shall be detained in the occupied country, and if convicted they shall serve their sentences therein.” (Article 47) Most of the Palestinian Prisoners are being held in detention facilities located outside the OPT.

As a result of an arbitrary permit system which governs Palestinians movement within the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and to and from the 1948 borders of Israel, family visits to detainees are often not possible, extremely infrequent, or impossible. Since the beginning of the current Intifada in September 2000, family visits have been prevented repeatedly and for long periods at a time.

Under Israeli military regulations a Palestinian can be detained for up to 8 days without the Israeli military informing the detainee of the reason for his/her arrest and without being brought before a judge. Between April and June 2002, this period of time was increased by Israeli military order 1500 to 18 days. Following or during the 8 days of detention, a detainee is sent to an interrogation center, charged with an offense, given an administrative detention order, or released.

A Palestinian detainee can be interrogated for a total period of 180 days, during which he/she can also be denied lawyer visits for a period of 60 days. During the interrogation period, a detainee is often subjected to some form of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment ranging in extremity, whether physical or psychological. The use of practices that constitute torture during interrogation has been legalized within the Israeli judicial system and permitted in individual cases in which the GSS deems a detainee a threat to state security or a “ticking bomb”. In some instances, detainees have died while in custody as a result of torture. Confessions extracted through torture are admissible in court and/or military tribunal.

Administrative detention, arrest without charge or trial, has been used as a form of collective punishment by the Israeli military against Palestinians, illegal in this form under international law. For example, during the period of March 2002 to October 2002, Israeli occupying forces arrested over 15,000 Palestinians during mass arrest campaigns, rounding up males in cities and villages between the ages of 15 to 45. In October 2002, there were over 1,050 Palestinians in administrative detention.

Administrative detention is indefinitely renewable under military regulations. A detainee may be given an administrative detention order for a period of between 1 to 6 months, after which the order may be renewed again. Administrative detention is based on secret evidence brought forward during military tribunals, to which neither the detainee nor his/her lawyer have access to. One of the longest Palestinian administrative detainees remained in custody for over 8 years, without being charged with a crime.

Under military regulations in force in the OPT, a child over the age of 16 is considered an adult, contrary to the defined age of a child as under 18 in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, to which Israel is a signatory. In practice, Palestinian children may be charged and sentenced in military courts beginning at the age of 12. Between the age of 12-14, children can be sentenced for offences for a period of up to six months. For example, a child who is charged for throwing a stone can be sentenced to six months imprisonment. After the age of 14, Palestinian children are tried as adults. There are no juvenile courts and children are often held and serve their sentences in cells with criminal prisoners and are often not separated from adults, illegal under international law.

Prison conditions in Israeli military detention camps are inhumane. Detainees are held in overcrowded prison tents that are often threadbare and do not provide for adequate shelter against extreme weather, are not provided adequate food rations, neither in quantity nor quality, not provided with clean clothes or adequate cleaning supplies. Many of the detainees currently being held in military detention camps were injured during their arrest and have not been provided the necessary medical attention, in addition to those who suffer from chronic illnesses.

Palestinian lawyers from the OPT are not permitted any special travel privileges in order to defend their clients. They are subjected to the same travel restrictions as all Palestinians in the OPT. Those lawyers who are able to access detainees have extremely high case loads and are often subjected to strip searches and humiliated when visiting their clients.

Manal is serving a 50 month sentence. Officially, she was accused of conspiracy in an attempted planning to kill. The details of her case show that she had attempted to carry weapons from one site to another. The attempt failed and she did not try to do it again and has never been part of any planning to any action. The Israeli Military Judge, who ruled in her case, said in the ruling remarks:

“Her role was very minor and insignificant in the planning and she did not know any pervious information about the attempt… she joined at a very late stage of planning… we have to mercy her son who was born in a very tough situation and who will spend his first years at prison… Manal did not participate in planning… she is not a member of or a supporter of any organization… she is not affiliated to any political faction, she had never been part of or accused of any violation in the past”

Despite these comments and despite the facts of her case, the Military Tribunal of Shemron decided to sentence her to maximum possible imprisonment term relative to such an accusation. The prison administration at Telmond Prison does not provide Manal and Nour with the special medical care they require, nor does it provide Nour with the milk he needs as his mother is unable to breast feed him.

Judicial Structures

Israeli military orders govern the implemented procedures and the treatment of Palestinian detainees and prisoners from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The military commander of each region of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, issues these military orders. Despite the nominal increase in legal powers of the Palestinian Authority, and the establishment of Palestinian civil courts, military orders still remain in force within the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Within the courts, military orders always take precedence over Israeli and international law. Israeli military courts refuse to apply international laws and conventions, and it is impossible to make any legal claims to protect individuals under military occupation. When international law is used, it is used only in situations that favor the occupying power.

The norm is that Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territories are submitted to Israeli military courts, even in some cases of civil incidents, such as a car accident involving an Israeli. Military courts of appeal are the last instance. The case of Marwan Barghouti, for example, is unique in that it is taking place within a civil court.

Military courts apply legislation on the use of force in an arbitrary manner,. The military legislation in itself is discriminatory. Confessions made under torture, for example, are enough to sentence a child to several years of imprisonment. Charges and sentences are based on wide-ranging interpretations of military regulations. For example, an individual may be arrested for pouring coffee at a funeral of a member of an illegal organisation, under the charge of “support for an illegal organisation”. All political organisations remain illegal in the Occupied Palestinian Territories under military regulations, including political parties currently involved in peace negotiations with Israel.

Discriminatory Laws

There are several stark discrepancies between Israeli law pertaining to Palestinian and Israeli detention respectively. For example, a Palestinian can, as of August 2003, be held in custody for 8 days before being brought before a judge. An Israeli citizen, however, can be held in custody for only a maximum of 24 hours before being brought before a judge. A Palestinian can be held without charge, by order of a military judge, for an initial period of up to 90, not necessarily continuously, days. This period can be extended for another period of up to 90 days by the legal advisor for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, via a military court of appeals (this form of detention differs from administrative detention, in which case no charges are brought against the detainee). An Israeli citizen can be held without indictment for an initial period of 15 days, which can be extended for only another 15 days.

In another example of discriminatory laws, whereas lawyer visits can be prohibited for up to 60 days after the day of arrest for a Palestinian detainee, the meeting between an Israeli detainee and his attorney can only be delayed for a total of 15 days.

This trend can also be witnessed in sentencing. As the maximum allowable sentences in civilian courts are considerably less severe than those permitted in the military tribunals, there are often significant differences in sentences passed for identical crimes committed by Israelis and Palestinians. For example, a Palestinian convicted of manslaughter by a military tribunal is subject to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while an Israeli convicted of manslaughter in a civilian court and sentenced to life imprisonment is imprisoned for a maximum of 20 years in most cases and, occasionally, at the most, 25 years. Capital punishment under military orders does exist in theory but rarely practiced. The last time a Capital Punishment was ruled against a Palestinian was in 1988 though it was not executed.

The difference in sentencing structures is reinforced by regulations in the two penal systems regarding the early release of prisoners. Under the Israeli penal code, criminal prisoners may be released after serving one-half of their sentences, whereas Palestinians judged under military rule are only allowed to appeal for probation after two-thirds of
the sentence has been served. It should be noted that Palestinian detainees are rarely released early. Palestinians are separate and unequal before the law; they are governed under different penal codes and in different courts than Israelis, and application of the law is systematically discriminatory.

Description of offences

In addition to administrative detention allowing in practice for the detention of every Palestinian, to the extremely loose interpretations of ” security reasons ” and the arbitrary application of the law, the defintions of crimes in Israeli legislation are additional sites where ambiguity can be manipulated, often resulting in increased sentences and imprisonment for Palestinians. For example, participating in an exhibition to benefit a charity organization linked to Hamas is a crime of “terrorist association “. Carrying or placing a Palestinian flag is a crime in itself under Israeli military regulations. Removing the rubbish put in the middle of a road by Israeli soldiers after they have left is another crime. Firing in the air during a wedding, as a form of celebration, constitutes a danger to Israel’s national security,despite the fact that it occurs in Palestinian Authority areas (area A). A student of a Hamas Koranic school can be sentenced to 14 months imprisonment for his participation in class. Participation in a demonstration is deemed a disruption of public order. Pouring coffee for a member of a declared illegal association can be seen as support for a terrorist organization. Palestinian national security forces are an illegal association

Comparative Case Studies

Sana’a, 14 years old, from Hebron was arrested after her older sister had attempted to stab an Israeli settler. She was found guilty of planning to stab a settler, however the court agreed that Sana’a did not carry out her plan and, in fact, at the time of her arrest was standing alone and unaware of what was happening around her. Five months after her arrest, a three-judge court, after 3 hours of deliberation, sentenced her to 1 year in prison with an additional 4 years suspended sentence if she should commit any offence during the next 5 years. The court did not take into account her age or the fact that she did not carry out any violent act. During the whole day at the courtroom, she was not given food and her legs remained shackled. Her hands were handcuffed whenever the judges left the room. Her father was not allowed to speak to his daughter.

Nahum, 37 years old, from the illegal settlement of Betar Ilit, was sentenced to 6 months of community service for the brutal slaying of an 11-year-old Palestinian boy. According to eyewitnesses, Nahum brutally killed the boy by kicking him in the head and beating him with the butt of his rifle. Originally acquitted by the District Court of Jerusalem, the Israeli Supreme Court found him responsible for the murder after an appeal by the prosecutors. However, Nahum received a sentence of only community service and a fine of $17,000 US.

Between December 1987 (the beginning of the first Intifada) and March 2001, Israeli settlers killed 119 Palestinians, including 23 children under the age of 17, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. From the serious deficiencies evidenced in investigations, or merely the lack of investigation itself, to the low sentences passed by courts, the complicity of the Israeli legal system in the cases of murder of Palestinians is evident. Of 89 cases monitored by the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem over this period, only 22 were convicted: 6 of murder, 7 of manslaughter, 7 of negligent homicide, and 2 charged with firing in a residential area and possession of a weapon without a permit. Only 3 convictions resulted in life sentences, from which 2 were reduced to 13 and 11 years respectively. Although the expected sentence for manslaughter is 20 years, the 7 settlers convicted of this crime received sentences ranging from 6 months to 7 and half years of imprisonment. While the normal sentence for negligent homicide is 3 years, of the 7 cases mentioned above, 5 received community service sentences and 2 received 5 and 18 months prison sentences. 39 files were closed without legal actions.

Between December 1987 and March 2001, 115 Israelis were killed by Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In each case, an investigation has been opened. Only 10 cases have been closed. 33 Palestinians were convicted of murder and all received life sentences, without the possibility of clemency or reduction of their sentence. One Palestinian was convicted for complicity of murder. No Palestinian was convicted for manslaughter or negligent homicide, rather than murder. No Palestinian was acquitted because he had acted in self-defence. Israeli security forces killed 15 suspects before they were brought to trial. In 22 cases, in addition to the prison sentence, the house of a suspect’s family has been demolished or sealed.

Centre for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims.
Interview with Social Worker Dima Altibi

Children whose mothers are imprisoned may suffer from separation anxiety as a result of not understanding why they have been separated from their mothers. The child may believe that he/she treated her badly or that the mother is upset with the child. This anxiety may be expressed in two ways. Firstly, the child feels unsafe and depressed, which exhibits itself in isolation and sleeping disorders..

Secondly, this disorder may become apparent by aggression and excessive anger. For example, the child may break objects in the house while searching for his/her mother. “Where is my mother” the child wonders. “Why has she left me?” These symptoms form an subconscious manifestation of the disorder. The child may believe that the mother is absent because of his/her brothers and sisters. The child may exhibit anger towards himself/herself or siblings, or believe that he/she is at fault or that there is something wrong with the child.

The child’s age is very important. During the first stage, up to 6 years old, the child’s personality develops. Providing the child with basic needs is important and safe relationships are significant. The mother must be available, as the child learns several things through its relationship with the family, the mother and father. Female children forcibly separated from their mothers can suffer from depression. It is crucial that there is someone taking the place of the mother to guide the children during this important stage. The absence of the mother affects the children, as it negatively impacts the child’s progress at school and impedes their articulation. With respect to female children at school stage, there are things which the father can never teach them, particularly with regard to feminine aspects which need to be addressed to the mother.

How can the family make up for the mother’s absence?
How can those present in the house help children? Family support for children can reduce the problems they face. It is important that the father understands their problems, and regularly reminds them of their mother’s love. He also needs to assure the children that he still loves them, allow the children’s minds to remain active and feel hope. The presence of aunts and grandparents positively affects children, as they provide compassion which reminds them of their mother and assures them that family members love them. It is also important that people close to the children understand their situation and pay attention to the problems which arise as early as possible. Teachers also need to understand children who have lost a parent. Such children may be lazy at school or suffer from sleep disorders. Failure in school may be evidence of problems faced by the children. Therefore, teachers must be attentive to the reasons behind the child’s failure and not place pressure on them, but rather refer the children to a counselor. Understanding the child is important.

Contact between the mother and her children outside prison
It is important that the mother stimulates the child’s memory to help remind him/her of the mother’s love for the child and her continued presence. For example, she can write to each child about things which they still remember. “Do you remember when we did that”. She can also remind her children that she is present and did not desert them and that she is not angry at them. At the end of the letter, it is important that she makes them feel secure, and to write “Good bye”, and not “Farewell”; “We will see each other again”. She also needs to revive hope in the children’s’ hearts. During visits, she should always remind them of her love, saying “I love you” and “I miss you” and re-enforce that she is being held against her will.

The case of Nour in prison
An infant who is held in prison is in an unnatural environment, in terms of the existence of natural stimuli which the child needs to learn and in terms of being deprived from the family (mother, father, brothers, and sisters). Nature and the outdoors is limited in the prison, and the child is allowed outside the prison cell for only a few hours. A child learns its perception of life from the people around it and is affected by its surroundings. Children learn a lot by experience. A child prisoner is deprived from learning about family. Therefore, he/she does not know what father or brothers and sisters mean since they do not exist in the prison cell. The child is deprived of other children to play with and compares itself and its size to those around him/her. When it compares its body, the child realizes that its body is small and weak, thereby forming a negative perception of itself. “I am small compared to the others; I am the only one who is like this”. It sees what women around it do and tries to imitate them, affecting the child in the future. When he the child is released, it will foreshadow this experience. Additionally, the child may suffer from learning disorders and a failure to react to certain things. The child also lacks many skills that were not learnt in the prison and which the mother must teach. The mother must also talk to her child about its father, brothers, and sisters and tell it that there are people outside the prison. When the child is released from the prison and moves to an environment completely different from what it has lived in, it will be exposed to many stimuli which are foreign. The mother, while in prison, must talk to the child about things it may see outside. She must also pay attention to the scope of its mind and talk to it about its surroundings and situation.

Majed

With a smile taking you to a childhood which you may have missed in the midst of a busy life, with two wide loving eyes filled with a brilliance you rarely see, 7-year-old Majed, Manal’s youngest son outside of prison, welcomes you. He shakes your hand with his little dark fingers. With these little fingers, which carry a much greater burden, Majed confidently opens the syringe, surprising anyone that sees him doing so for the first time, and attempts to break the neck of the bottle. His aunt offers help. “I know, I know”, Majed responds, gazing at her. Skillfully, he pulls the liquid into the syringe which he prepares and fixes to the device to replenish his blood 3 times a week, assisted by his aunt Arij to stick the syringe in his tender arm. Despite difficulties faced by Majed in receiving treatment at the beginning, he was assisted by psychiatrists from the Thalasimya Patients Association, and was able to create an amazing friendship and acquaintance with the syringe and medical devices.

Majed suffers from severe Thalasimia and inflation of the lien. His health condition requires that he often visits the hospital, and sometimes stays overnight, to provide him with blood and place him under medical observation. The doctor treating him decided to conduct a surgical operation to excise the lien before his mother was arrested by the Israeli army. However, he postponed it until Majed turns 10 years old. Majed’s fragile health prevents him from visiting his mother regularly in Telmond Prison, where he used to visit her along with her grandmother. The Israeli army has prevented the grandmother from visiting her daughter. Due to the difficult journey, long hours waiting, and searches of families wishing to visit their relatives in prison, and the fact that his brother and sister, Niveen and Ihab, cannot take care of him, Majed’s father was forced to not tell him about the visits to his mother. Therefore, Majed is always crying and yelling to see his mother until his brother and sister come back. His father was also forced to tell him that his brother and sister went to visit their mother because Majed always returned tired and sick after each visit.

Aunt Arij describes Majed:
Majed was in kindergarten when his mother was arrested. Juju is sick and his psyche is negatively impacted. Juju has everything… wrist watches, watches which make him laugh. When he is ill, you feel for him. He does not know how to express himself. He wants his mother to be beside him. He also wants to see his brother. When he is sick, he almost hallucinates. He wants to possess everything. Sometimes, he gives what he has to his brothers and sisters. I feel him becoming sick at once. I told him not to go in the morning. When he got up on the visit day, I told him that his brother and sister went to school. ‘Aunt, you lied to me”, he said when he came back from school.

During the interview, Majed was playing with an object he had in his pocket. His hand, which he extended from the moment we talked to him, is moving something there. It wasn’t long till Majed took out a small medal with pictures of 2 lost loved ones, his younger brother Nour, and his martyred uncle Ghanem; two absentees who occupy little Majed’s mind. He told me that he moves their pictures when he changes his clothes. Majed took out his medal and showed it to me. “This is Nour and this is my uncle Ghanim. Every hour, I look at the medal. I always keep it with me”, Majed said while he was turning the medal.

Niveen

A group of female students, in blue school uniform, stood gazing at us as we were waiting for one of Manal’s family members to accompany us to her house to meet her children. Shy looks and giggles, long gazes, and a wild desire to discover the unknown, were evident in those students. In turn, we broke the ice. One of the girls was walking through the streets of the refugee camp as if they were her home. Her complexion was dark. She was more courageous than the others. Her stare would penetrate you and make you feel as if she was searching for something in you. A few minutes later, Manal’s sister arrived and we went together to her parents’ house. I was surprised to see the same girl enter as we sat down; the same eyes and crazy hair, which didn’t even begin to conform to the many hair band in it. That was my first encounter with Niveen.

In the absence of her mother, Niveen expresses the silence in her more powerfully than any other girl would. She took me with her on a journey to the silence filling her and which appears in her eyes. Silence filled the entire space. It was louder than the noise caused by children playing outside. With a few words, she expressed her longing for her mother. However, she remained silent as I asked her more questions, thus expressing even more of herself.

Aunt Arij describes Niveen:
She used to go out without permission. There are contradictions in her personality now and changes in her behavior. The girl was shocked, as if she lost something. She is aggressive, beats Majed, and is very jealous of her brothers and Majed. We try to compensate her with many things. She used to ask about her mother a lot. “Where is she? When will she be released? Why did they do this to her?” Sometimes, I don’t know what to answer her!

The other girls make fun of her, saying “Your mother is in prison. Your mother is in prison”. Sometimes, people treat her sympathetically. She is nervous when she comes back from school. She is excessively nervous. When her mother was arrested, she used to fight and beat other girls. I didn’t like her behavior. She hardly speaks. She was young when her mother was arrested. Because she’s the only female child, she is very jealous of Majed. Everyone has a problem. When she visits her mother, I ask her about Nour. “How is you mother?” Good. Niveen doesn’t talk about her mother. All she says: “She says hello to you”. Sometimes, after the second or third day after the visit, she will say something. “I forget. Wait until I remember”, she would say. She remembers everything when she sits at the computer. At home, I call her the computer. Niveen likes everything to be hers. She needs courtesy. I usually try to give her everything. I feel that she is like a trust. Sometimes, Niveen gets upset because I tell her not to go out of the house. Niveen goes to the psychiatrist. They express themselves by painting.

Ihab

It wasn’t difficult for Ihab to relate the story of what happened on the day his mother was arrested two years ago. He talked about what happened as if it was yesterday, as if two years had not passed by. It is an experience which still lives within him. His eyes were glistening as he described how the army entered the house on that night.

“The army broke into the house, damaged the sofas, the house, and the cupboard. They damaged everything. The split the TV set into two halves and damaged the satellite receiver. The army broke the windows and glass. The wire fell on the glass. They damaged the house and then they left”, Ihab recalls.

He expresses what happened with his face and hands. A 10-year-old mischievous boy, he is full of energy and anger, both of which stimulate him. He was 8 when his mother was arrested from her house in Tulkarem refugee camp.

“I am sick because my mother is in prison”, he easily and simply states. “I am sad and cause a lot of problems. I also get very nervous when somebody shouts at me.”

I saw his face tighten and release. His eyes show mischief and shyness at the same time, and search the area once.

“My mother is in prison. Because my brother suffers from Thalasimia, she beat the soldier. On the day they arrested my mother, they first shook the door of the house. Both my father and mother went out. They told my father and mother to go away and wake up the children and take them outside. My father came with them. He woke me up and told me there that the army was in the house. “You sit here and you sit here”, they told us when they first came in. My brother was uncovered. My mother wanted to bring a jacket, but they beat her. They stayed for half an hour in the house”, Ihab says, responding to my question on the arrest of his mother.

Ihab Naji Ghanem in his own words

“I am in the 5th grade (Class C) in Tulkarem refugee camp. I have 100 friends. We love to play Karate, and (zaqqtotah). We love to play everything. We play (tummah) and (daqq al hajar). My closest friends are Ali, Abu Loto, Mu’taz, Abu ‘Atef, Naseem, and Khalil. My friends nicknamed me as Abu Rasas. My brother Majed suffers from Thalasimia. They give him blood.

My mother is held in Hadarim Prison. We go and visit her with the ICRC. The trip in the bus is difficult. There, the Israelis search us and take us to Jenin to search us. They search the clothes and throw them. They throw some clothes on the dirty ground, but we clean them. We take clothes to my mother.

I was happy when my mother had a baby boy. I knew it would be a boy. I want a boy. I have never hugged my brother or carried him. The army doesn’t allow us. I would love to kiss and hug him. I don’t see my mother well during the visit. There is a glass barrier, wire fence, and more glass. During visits, I would love to break the glass, remove the wire fence, release her, and free the prison. I want her to be out safe.

The best thing my mother used to cook? Shawerma. When she is released, I want her to prepare Shawerma for me. The first thing we’d like to do when my mother is released is to go to the store and buy clothes. I will ask her where she is going, and go along with her.

I am most happy when I play football. My favourite hobbies are playing football and computers. We have a football team called Al Ghanim Neighbourhood Team, which is made up of me, Captain Ashraf, and Goalkeeper Hammoudeh.

When I grow up, I will be a man and get married. This means I will work in metal. We will collect metal and sell it. I’ll go with my uncle, make cars, and bring metal. I will fix them all.”

Aunt Arij describes Ihab:
He was calm. I didn’t like his behavior. I didn’t know what to do with him. Mother substitutes the father. He isn’t willing to accept anything. He doesn’t accept guidance. He’s stubborn. I can’t deal with him easily and I just don’t know how to deal with him. Sometimes, he runs away. I don’t know what to do with him. He lies and is increasingly careless. He doesn’t care about anything and doesn’t like to stay quiet. Sometimes, I become angry and hit him. He likes horror and war movies. If he meets a boy along the street, he will hit him. Everyone complains about him. He disappears for two hours and then shows up with no explanation. He drives me crazy. I don’t know what to do!

Why does Ihab say that his mom is in prison because Majed suffers from Thalasimia? I’ll tell you why. On the day they arrested Manal, the soldiers stepped on Majed with their boots. She wanted to dress him with the jacket. He was cold and she wanted to bring a blanket. The soldier prevented her and stepped on the boy instead. Trying to defend her son, she grabbed her slippers and hit the soldier with them. This is what Ihab thinks. The boy imagines things happened differently that what he saw that night.

Naji

He carries a burden, but a greater nostalgia. He is proud of his wife. Waiting for her release, Naji, Manal’s husband, tries to compensate his children for their mother’s absence. Tormented between work responsibilities and his children’s needs, he misses his wife terribly. He has been prevented from visiting her since she was arrested. This departure was among the plans Naji and Manal prepared for 11 years ago.

“I married Manal 11 years ago. I saw her by chance walking along the street. I liked her immediately. I was selling flowers at the time and I was introduced to her. I sent her red flowers. I knew her for 4 months and then we were engaged. During that time, we used to travel together. We went to Nablus and Ramallah. She loved to go to Nablus. We planned to have 4 children and provide them with a decent living and future. Manal loved her children immensely. She studied at a beauty school and enjoyed embroidery. We named our children after their uncles who were martyred.”

Manal’s arrest
“It was raining. It was about 04:00 am at dawn. The soldiers asked about my brother Ghanim, who was later killed by the Israelis. They searched the house, broke glass objects, and damaged the house. They took me outside for half an hour. I saw them when they took Manal. The army asked about my brother, who is wanted. Niveen told me that they took Manal. The army beat me with a rifle on my shoulder. They also beat Majed, Niveen and Ihab. Majed saw how they arrested his mother. For two months after she was arrested, he stayed in the hospital to be treated for Thalasimiya.”

Naji lives in his house alone. The children live at their grandfather’s. Naji is prevented from visiting Manal for security reasons. Since her arrest Naji has only seen Manal and Nour one time at Manal’s trial. His first and only time seeing Nour, Naji was eager to hold him during the trial. The Israelis allowed him to carry him for a minute and then grabbed him away.

Naji is 37 years old. He completed preparatory school. He is an employee at the UN Refugee Works Agency (UNRWA). His financial situation is average. He is renting the house in which he lives. On 24 February 2004, his brother Ghanem was martyred. His brother Samer is still held in custody in Jalbou’ Prison.