Tension has prevailed in Israeli jails over the deliberate neglect pursued by the Israel Prison Service against Palestinian detainees despite the intensified spread of coronavirus in the Palestinian territories.

Spokesman for the Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies Riyad al-Ashqar said on Wednesday that despite the seriousness of the disease and its rapid outbreak, no safety measures have been taken by the Israel Prison Service to protect the detainees.

The Israel Prison Service has even stopped supplying prison canteens with many essential items, including cleaning products like sterilizers, he added.

Last week the Israeli occupation authorities announced a new decision to cancel prison visits by families and lawyers claiming it was part of preventive measures taken to limit the coronavirus spread, yet they do not seem to really care about the safety of Palestinian detainees, al-Ashqar said.

Palestinian prisoners, as a protest step over the Israel Prison Service's disregard for their lives, refused to eat their meals on Wednesday to pressure the prison administration to backtrack on its policies.

Al-Ashqar called for the immediate release of the detainees who are at higher risk for serious illness from coronavirus, especially prisoners already suffering from health problems, children, women and the elderly.

He also called for the release of administrative detainees, who are held without charge or trial. "They should be among their families at this time," he stressed.

Al-Ashqar held the Israeli occupation authorities and the Israel Prison Service fully responsible for the lives of Palestinian detainees and any threats to their health conditions as a result of the delay in taking the necessary measures to protect them from infection.

Al-Ashqar called on the World Health Organizations and concerned human rights organizations to urgently intervene and exert pressure on the Israeli occupation authorities to ensure that they take the required measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in their jails.

 

Source: The Palestinian Information Center