Statement from Prisoners’ Committee on Negev Prison
Following meetings with lawyers for Palestinians held in the Negev Prison, the Prisoners’ Committee issued a statement on the harsh conditions that Palestinians in prison are subjected to. The statement detailed the suffocating restrictions and revenge policies implemented in the Negev Prison, which has been described as a “graveyard of the living.” It emphasized that Palestinian prisoners are systematically oppressed, tortured, and deprived of the most basic necessities of life.
It was also reported that many details suffered serious injuries, infectious diseases such as scabies, and many had lost significant weight. Palestinian details reported a constant feeling of weakness due to medical neglect, hunger, deliberate insults and humiliations. It was noted that even the sick were subjected to torture and continued deprivation of medicine.
Problems Experienced by Prisoners
The statement included some alarming situations that Palestinians held in prison had reported to their lawyers. A 20-year-old Palestinian named Qusay Husays told his lawyer, “I have scabies, my health condition is serious, I have repeatedly asked the prison administration for treatment but I have not received any results.” Husays stated that he has not been able to sleep for days due to these health problems, and that 10 other people in the same cell have also caught scabies, and some of them have blood and pus flowing from their bodies.
Eymen Mahmud Atşan, 29, who has been in prison since November 2023 from the Arura district of Ramallah, said that his ribs were broken as a result of a heavy blow and that he could not move, could not even get out of bed. In addition, 30-year-old Mujahid Abu Iz, who has been in prison since November 12, reported that he had scabies.
Hilal Shahsir (31) from Nablus stated that she was injured in the head when she was attacked by special forces called “Al-Keyter” in prison; that this situation negatively affected both her physical and mental health, disrupted her concentration and emphasized the need for health monitoring. However, it was stated that the prison administration ignored this situation.
Call to the International Community
The Prisoners’ Committee stated that “Israeli authorities and prison administrations are entirely responsible for the lives of men and women held in Israeli prisons” regarding the ill-treatment of Palestinians in prisons. The Committee called on the international community, human rights organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to “stand by the Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and fulfill their responsibilities to stop these systematic crimes”.
