Marking International Women's Day, Israeli Occupation Government Escalates Torture and Arbitrary Practices Against Detained Palestinian Women

Gaza women rally to mark International Women's Day

Saturday March 08, 2008 15:41 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

Two rallies to mark International Women's Day were held in the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

In the first of two rallies, banners read " Stop the Siege on Gaza" and " Stop killing women," according to the UN office in Gaza city. The organizers of the rally then delivered a petition to UN office chief in Gaza City, Sabah Al-Akali, demanding an urgent UN Security Council meeting to end the Israeli siege and attacks on the Palestinian coastal region. During this week alone, Israeli attacks have left 77 Palestinians dead, among them 18 women.

The second rally was organized by the Union of Palestinian Women in front of the Palestinian Legislative Council building in Gaza City. The protesters demanded more rights for women and an increased role in Palestinian politics and governance.

On International Women's Day female Palestinian detainees face torture and oppression

Saturday March 08, 2008 00:59 by IMEMC News

The Mandela Institute for Human Rights and Political prisoners made statements on the "steadfastness and sacrifices of Palestinian women who play an important and significant role in the Palestinian society and the struggle for liberation."

The Mandela Institute stated that Palestinian women face many different types of suffering and oppression under the Israeli occupation and are subjected to kidnapping by the army, killing, torture, and are wives and mothers of detainees and martyrs.

Marking the March 8th, International Women's Day, the Mandela Institute stated that international human rights groups should probe violations against female detainees imprisoned by Israel. According to the Institute, female detainees are subjected to treatment that violates International Law including the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions.

The Institute stated that there are currently 80 female detainees imprisoned by Israel, including two mothers, who are imprisoned with their children, identified as Yousuf and Ghada. Dozens of detainees are suffering from malnutrition, and are subjected to torture, denied visitation rights and put in solitary confinement.

The Institute added that there are several female detainees who gave birth to their children while behind bars, under conditions that do not meet basic health requirements. Some of the detainees who gave birth while in prison are:

- Mirvat Taha gave birth to her son Wael on August 2, 2003.

- Manal Ghanim, gave birth to her son Nour on October 10, 2003.

- Samar Subaih, gave birth to her son Bara on April 30, 2006.

- Fatima Al-Ziq, gave birth to her son Yousuf on January 17, 2008.

There are approximately 22 female detainees who are separated from their children. Several detainees are wives of male detainees, including: Erena Sarahna and Ibrahim Sarahna, Eman Al-Ghazzawi and Shaer Al-Ashy, Nour Shukry and Mohammad Al-Hashlamoun, Khawla Zaitawi and Jasser Al-Omar, Itaf Al-Hodaly and Waleed Al-Hodaly.

The Mandela Institute stated that female detainees are also not provided with proper medical attention, including those arrested while pregnant. Pregnant detainees are not receiving required prenatal checkups and medical treatment. This is in addition to being subjected to the usual forms of mistreatment, lack of visitation rights, and repeated attacks by Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli Prison Administration currently bars entry of clothes, shoes, blankets and several other essential supplies. The Mandela Institute demands that the International Community, Human Rights organizations, and the United Nations intervenes and pressures the Israeli government to improve conditions for the detainees providing them with needed medical attention.

Wa'ed: Israel escalated arbitrary practices against detained Palestinian women

[ 08/03/2008 - 04:35 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

On the occasion of the international women's day, the Wa'ed society for detainees and ex-detainees highlighted that the conditions of Palestinian female prisoners in Israeli jails witnessed a serious deterioration this year as the Israeli prisons authority escalated all forms of penalties and humiliation against them.

The society explained that the Palestinian female prisoners suffer very difficult living conditions including overcrowding inside their cells which forces some women to sleep on the floor; besides, the cells are full of insects, cockroaches and rats.

The society added that the Israeli prisons' administrations take pleasure in imposing a lot of inhumane arbitrary measures against the incarcerated Palestinian women including imposing fines, depriving them of family visits, detaining them in solitary cells and carrying out strip searches.

The society underlined according to the latest statistics that the IOA had kidnapped since 1967 about 10,000 Palestinian women 700 of them were kidnapped during Al-Aqsa Intifada.

The society also stated that there are still 122 Palestinian female prisoners, all of them were kidnapped during Al-Aqsa Intifada, in Israeli jails including five girls under age 18 and six administratively detained without leveling any charge against them.

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