Israel Blocks Lawyer-Prisoner Rights
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- Published on Tuesday, 10 April 2012 10:08
PNN
On Tuesday, April 10th, the Prisoners' Society for Studies revealed that the Israeli prison administration has taken steps to prevent lawyers from visiting prisoners on hunger strike. Already this ban has affected the lawyers of Bilal Diab, Ja'far Ezz el Deen and Thaer Halahlah, even though these lawyers had been given approval to make official visits.
The Prisoners' Society said that the ban on lawyers' visits produces real fears about isolating the strikers from the outside world, and makes good on Israel's threats to force prisoners to finish their hunger strikes without giving anything in return.
The former prisoner and current director of the Prisoners' Society for Studies, Ra'fat Hamdouna, said that preventing lawyers from visiting prisoners is a violation of international and humanitarian laws. Hamdouna is also a member of the Prisoners' Committee for Islamic and National Forces.
Hamdouna also said that prisoners are preparing action to reclaim their rights and put an end to harsh and illegal prison practices by Israel's prison administration such as: direct and indirect killings as a result of poor medical treatment; torture during interrogations; Israel's policies of deportation and administrative decision; strip searches; solidarity confinement; prevention of visits, education and lawyers; destruction and confiscation of prisoners' belongings; and assault of prisoners by facial beating with batons and the use of nerves gas.
