EU parliament Deplores Harsh Conditions, Torture of 11,000 Palestinian Political Prisoners in Israeli Occupation Prisons

EU parliament urges Israel to release Marwan Barghouthi, other PLC members

Date: 04 / 09 / 2008  Time:  23:09
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

The European parliament called on the Israeli occupation government to release charismatic Fat'h leader, Marwan Al-Barghouthi, in a resolution denouncing Israeli police practices towards Palestinian political prisoners on Thursday.

“A substantial release of Palestinian (political) prisoners,” the document says, “as well as the immediate release of the 48 imprisoned members of the Palestinian Legislative Council including Marwan Al-Barghouthi, could serve as a positive step to establish the climate of mutual trust needed to make progress in the peace negotiations.”

The resolution was passed with a majority of 416 votes to 136 and 61 abstentions. The document welcomed as a “positive step” Israel’s recent release of 198 Palestinians, but deplored the ongoing incarceration of another 11,000.

The EU called on Israel to respect “minimum standards” of treatment of detainees, and deplored the harsh conditions, including torture, that Palestinians are subjected to in Israeli prisons.

The document affirmed the role of Palestinian political prisoners, including members of parliament, in political life, such as the role prisoners played in creating the last Palestinian government of national unity.

The resolutions said that upgrading relations between the EU and Israel should take human rights and as a consideration, linking relations to Israel’s respect for international law.

The parliament welcomed the call, in the recent EU-Israel partnership agreement, to create a special committee on human rights.

Palestinian parliament speaker moved from one Israeli occupation prison to another

Date: 04 / 09 / 2008  Time:  15:13
Hebron – Ma’an –

The speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Aziz Al-Duwaik, has been moved from one Israeli occupation prison to another, one of Al-Duwaik’s colleagues in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) said on Thursday.

PLC member Samira Halaykah Al-Duwaik said he was moved from Megiddo prison to Hadareim prison. Another lawmaker, Samir Al-Qadi, was moved from Ofer prison to Megiddo.

Halaykah said that the Israeli occupation prison service is abusing Al-Duwaik and the other 40 members of the PLC who are still in prison. According to Halaykah, even the transportation between prison facilities can become a means of torture, and a month ago, four lawmakers were injured while in transit between prisons.