Aziz Al-Duwaik says Israeli prison authority eavesdrops on meetings between Palestinian political prisoners and their lawyers

Aziz Al-Duwaik: Israeli prison authority eavesdrops on meetings between Palestinian political prisoners and their lawyers

[ 25/10/2007 - 11:53 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Dr. Aziz Al-Duwaik, the speaker of the PLC imprisoned along with other Palestinian MPs and ministers in the Israeli Megiddo prison, charged that the prison's administration wiretaps the phone conversations with the MPs' lawyers.

Duwaik revealed that he and his lawyer were surprised when the prison director told the lawyer during his visit that he should respect his work and talk only about legal issues away from what is happening inside the prison.

The imprisoned speaker elaborated that the prison manager denied when he was asked if he wiretaps the phone conversations between Duwaik and his lawyer through the glass shield, but he affirmed that he can read what they write; although, he cannot read Arabic and no one is present during the lawyer's meetings with Duwaik; thus, according to the PLC speaker, this proves that the prison administration wiretaps the phone conversations.

In another context, the family of prisoner Mohamed Sawalmeh, 39, from the Balata refugee camp to the east of Nablus, appealed to human rights organizations to find out about their son's destiny. He is imprisoned in the Israeli detention center of Petah Tikva, the family said, pointing out that the circumstances of his detention have been unknown since he was arrested more than 50 days ago.

His family also added that Mohamed, who is married and has three children, had been deprived of his lawyer's visitations since his arrest, expressing fear for his life because he had a surgery one week before his arrest.

In another development, Mushir Al-Masri, the secretary-general of Hamas-affiliated change and reform parliamentary bloc, confirmed during a march organized by Hamas on Wednesday evening that the PLC will return to exercise its jurisdiction after the proxies of the imprisoned MPs were completed.

The legal committee of the PLC had unanimously decided the need for the imprisoned MPs to exercise their jurisdiction and legal powers through written proxies or authorizations.

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