Conghaileach
27th July 2002, 08:28
Palestinian Women Political Prisoners
As 0f June 2002, there were 28 Palestinian women political detainees
held in Ramle Prison. They are being held in the same section as Isreal
criminal prisoners and live under very difficult conditions. These
conditions have worsoned dramatically since the beginning of the
Intifada and prison guards have repeatedly raided their cells, beating
and attacking the female detainees. Th prison administration pressures
the women detainees through the following means:
Raiding the cells and beating the prisoners
Reducing the recess time from four hours to two hours.
Inspections and confiscation of their belongings.
Depriving them from sending letters or seeing their families.
Preventing them from using the telephone.
Deprived from receiving items allowed by the prison administration.
Testimony recorded in writing under oath about torture Muna Husni
Qa'dan Dar Hussein from Araba- Jenin
"I was arrested on 15 February 1999 at a military checkpoint between
Araba and Jenin while I was on my way to work; I am a director of a
kindergarten called "Baraim Ilnur". The taxi, which I was in with other
passengers, was stopped and I was asked to show my identity card, then
I was told that I was under arrest. I was taken to Dutan where I was
held in custody for five hours, then I was taken to Al Jalami prison;
the interrogation center. There my hands and feet were tied and a sack
was place over my head. This went on for five continuous hours every
day, except for a period when this went on from Sunday to Thursday.
My legs and hands were tied to a chair and a sack was placed over my
head and a pair of glasses was placed on my eyes all the time. Loud
music was playing in the background in the interrogation center, which
I can't describe because a sack was covering my head. The interrogation
was carried out at night until the morning, which prevented me from
sleeping, sometimes I fell asleep during interrogation (on Saturdays
and Sundays I slept in the cell). During the interrogation there was a
male interrogator accompanied by a female soldier, every time a
different male interrogator. The main interrogator's name was 'Abu
Munir' and the other interrogators whom I can remember their names were
named 'Sinuy', 'Peres' and 'Segal'. They cursed me using abusive words
and against my religious belief and me. They hit me once when they
brought my phone book from my handbag and the interrogator Abu Munir
asked me to read it. I read it many times but when he kept bothering me
by asking me to read it over and over again I tore it up and threw it
in the garbage. Abu Munir hit me on my hands and I hit him back on his
face and tore his shirt.
The interrogator always threatened me with administrative detention. In
one interrogation session Abu Munir came to interrogate me on Friday
and Saturday nights. He told me that they arrested people who confessed
about me so I told him I have nothing to confess. Then he told me that
I was given an administrative detention sentence for six months and
that I will be taken to Al Jalami prison on Sunday. He threatened me to
extend my administrative detention for many times.
On the fourteenth day of interrogation they brought my brother Muawia
(held at Megiddo prison). I was brought to him in the interrogation
room and we were left alone for two hours. They told him to pressurize
me so that I confess or eat (I went on a hunger strike since the first
day of my arrest). They tempted me by bringing another woman on the
second day of interrogation. She claimed that she was from Nazareth and
was named Abeer Abed. She asked me about the reason why I was held in
custody but I told her that I had nothing to say. She said that she was
arrested because she was in the "Islamic Jihad". She spent two nights
with me in the cell. Then she was taken somewhere and returned ten days
later. When I asked where she had been she said that she was sick and
was taken to Al Ramli for treatment, I realized that she was a
collaborator.
On Wednesday, 10 March 1999 my friend Asma'a was arrested and put in a
cell next to my cell. I knew that it was she because a police officer
asked about my name then asked her about her name so I realized that
she was there. I was not allowed to wash or change my clothes all the
time. I pushed them to let me bathe because I needed it so they let me
bathe once without soap, only with water. After the attorney Sahar's
visit to me on 7 March 1999 when I was on a hunger strike, she told me
that I could ask for milk. After asking for milk several times, I was
given a glass of it on the 25th day. I stayed in a cell of 1.5 square
meters. It had a toilet without a window and it was lit all the time.
On Sunday 14 March 1999 I was taken for a one-hour-interrogation
session and I was told that I was an administrative detainee and that I
would be take to Al Ramli prison. So I got in the car and when we got
to Salem checkpoint (west of Jenin) I was asked to get out of the car
and told to go home. I did not believe them because I thought that they
were playing games with me but I went home. My hunger strike went on
for 28 days- from my arrest to my release."
Muna Qa'dan, March 29 1999, ID Card No. 926208414
(Edited by CiaranB at 12:40 pm on July 29, 2002)
As 0f June 2002, there were 28 Palestinian women political detainees
held in Ramle Prison. They are being held in the same section as Isreal
criminal prisoners and live under very difficult conditions. These
conditions have worsoned dramatically since the beginning of the
Intifada and prison guards have repeatedly raided their cells, beating
and attacking the female detainees. Th prison administration pressures
the women detainees through the following means:
Raiding the cells and beating the prisoners
Reducing the recess time from four hours to two hours.
Inspections and confiscation of their belongings.
Depriving them from sending letters or seeing their families.
Preventing them from using the telephone.
Deprived from receiving items allowed by the prison administration.
Testimony recorded in writing under oath about torture Muna Husni
Qa'dan Dar Hussein from Araba- Jenin
"I was arrested on 15 February 1999 at a military checkpoint between
Araba and Jenin while I was on my way to work; I am a director of a
kindergarten called "Baraim Ilnur". The taxi, which I was in with other
passengers, was stopped and I was asked to show my identity card, then
I was told that I was under arrest. I was taken to Dutan where I was
held in custody for five hours, then I was taken to Al Jalami prison;
the interrogation center. There my hands and feet were tied and a sack
was place over my head. This went on for five continuous hours every
day, except for a period when this went on from Sunday to Thursday.
My legs and hands were tied to a chair and a sack was placed over my
head and a pair of glasses was placed on my eyes all the time. Loud
music was playing in the background in the interrogation center, which
I can't describe because a sack was covering my head. The interrogation
was carried out at night until the morning, which prevented me from
sleeping, sometimes I fell asleep during interrogation (on Saturdays
and Sundays I slept in the cell). During the interrogation there was a
male interrogator accompanied by a female soldier, every time a
different male interrogator. The main interrogator's name was 'Abu
Munir' and the other interrogators whom I can remember their names were
named 'Sinuy', 'Peres' and 'Segal'. They cursed me using abusive words
and against my religious belief and me. They hit me once when they
brought my phone book from my handbag and the interrogator Abu Munir
asked me to read it. I read it many times but when he kept bothering me
by asking me to read it over and over again I tore it up and threw it
in the garbage. Abu Munir hit me on my hands and I hit him back on his
face and tore his shirt.
The interrogator always threatened me with administrative detention. In
one interrogation session Abu Munir came to interrogate me on Friday
and Saturday nights. He told me that they arrested people who confessed
about me so I told him I have nothing to confess. Then he told me that
I was given an administrative detention sentence for six months and
that I will be taken to Al Jalami prison on Sunday. He threatened me to
extend my administrative detention for many times.
On the fourteenth day of interrogation they brought my brother Muawia
(held at Megiddo prison). I was brought to him in the interrogation
room and we were left alone for two hours. They told him to pressurize
me so that I confess or eat (I went on a hunger strike since the first
day of my arrest). They tempted me by bringing another woman on the
second day of interrogation. She claimed that she was from Nazareth and
was named Abeer Abed. She asked me about the reason why I was held in
custody but I told her that I had nothing to say. She said that she was
arrested because she was in the "Islamic Jihad". She spent two nights
with me in the cell. Then she was taken somewhere and returned ten days
later. When I asked where she had been she said that she was sick and
was taken to Al Ramli for treatment, I realized that she was a
collaborator.
On Wednesday, 10 March 1999 my friend Asma'a was arrested and put in a
cell next to my cell. I knew that it was she because a police officer
asked about my name then asked her about her name so I realized that
she was there. I was not allowed to wash or change my clothes all the
time. I pushed them to let me bathe because I needed it so they let me
bathe once without soap, only with water. After the attorney Sahar's
visit to me on 7 March 1999 when I was on a hunger strike, she told me
that I could ask for milk. After asking for milk several times, I was
given a glass of it on the 25th day. I stayed in a cell of 1.5 square
meters. It had a toilet without a window and it was lit all the time.
On Sunday 14 March 1999 I was taken for a one-hour-interrogation
session and I was told that I was an administrative detainee and that I
would be take to Al Ramli prison. So I got in the car and when we got
to Salem checkpoint (west of Jenin) I was asked to get out of the car
and told to go home. I did not believe them because I thought that they
were playing games with me but I went home. My hunger strike went on
for 28 days- from my arrest to my release."
Muna Qa'dan, March 29 1999, ID Card No. 926208414
(Edited by CiaranB at 12:40 pm on July 29, 2002)