18 May 2015
Mr. Effie Ben
Matityau
Ambassador
Israeli Embassy in Manila, Philippines
Dear Hon. Matityau,
Greetings of
peace!
We are writing
this letter to express our grave concern over news reports of continued
imprisonment, harassment and ill-treatment of six Palestinian women in HaSharon
Israeli prison.
The women —
student activist Lina Khattab, human rights lawyer Shireen Issawi,
Nahil Abu Aisha, Ihsan Dababseh, Hanniyyeh Nassar, and Yasmin
Shaaban — are prohibited family visits for one month for raising the
Palestinian flag on "Israeli Independence Day," commemorating the the
displacement of Palestinian people and the occupation of Israel in Palestine.
According to
Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, the women prisoners were kept
in solitary confinement after they confronted prison officials about
prohibiting visits of family members. The women are also reportedly maltreated
and beaten up while incarcerated, while conditions in isolation are extremely
harsh.
Shireen Issawi is
a Palestinian lawyer arrested in March 2014 without warrant, together with her
brother and several others. Issawi has been falsely charged with offenses
relating to the transmission of "information from political prisoners to
parties hostile to Israel." Since her transfer to Hasharon prison, she has
allegedly been a victim of ill-treatment and harassment from the Israel forces.
Lina Khattab, 18,
is a student at Bir Zeit University, a folkloric dancer and an activist. She
was arrested on December 13, 2014 during a student protest to free Palestinian
political prisoners. She is convicted to six months imprisonment for allegedly
"throwing stones" and "participating in an unlawful
demonstration" charges filed by Israeli military. She also had been abused
and beaten by Israeli soldiers during her detention.
We are alarmed at
the continuing illegal arrests and arbitrary detention of Palestinian citizens
and rights defenders. Samidoun also reports that there are nearly 6,500
Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails, 500 of them held under
administrative detention without charge or trial including Palestinian parliamentary
member Khalida Jharrar.
We call on
Israeli authorities to drop all fabricated charges against Issawi, Khattab and
all Palestinian political prisoners, and immediately release them from
detention.
We call on the
Israeli government’s attention to the provisions of the United Nations
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by
Israel in 1991, which are being violated.
Karapatan,
together with its member and allied organizations in the Philippines, support
and is in solidarity with the Palestinian peoples in their continuing struggle
for freedom.
Respectfully
yours,
(sgd) Cristina Palabay
Secretary General