Palestinian prisoner Fares Baroud, 51, from al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza, died on Wednesday, February 6 only hours after being suddenly transferred to intensive care from Ramon prison.
Baroud suffered from a number of health conditions, including a hernia and liver disease, and had repeatedly spoken about medical neglect and denial of needed health treatment to Palestinian prisoners.
Palestinian prisoner #Fares_Baroud passed away inside Israeli jails due to Israeli policy of healthcare negligence!#IsraeliCrimes pic.twitter.com/ZNeSHNktt6
— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) February 6, 2019
Earlier, he had lost 80 percent of his sight due to a vision problem; treatment was delayed for four months by the prison administration for his condition. Palestinian prisoners’ associations said that Baroud has been subjected to deliberate medical neglect over the years and that he has been denied necessary medical care that could have sustained his life.
The death of Fares Baroud, 51, from Gaza in Israeli jails after his health deteriorated as a result of medical negligence. He has been detained for 28 years#GroupPalestine #قروب_فلسطيني pic.twitter.com/NbtR4a7jg9
— ? أمٰـαмσηـوٰنٰـہ²ٰٖ ? (@amon7ps2) February 6, 2019
Baroud had been denied family visits for 18 years by the Israeli occupation, including with his mother, Rayya Baroud, who suffered from the same vision condition, and lost her sight and her life before seeing her son again.
Baroud was arrested in 1991, and he was one of the prisoners slated to be released in 2013 as part of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Instead, the occupation violated the agreement, refusing to release the final 30 prisoners named, including Baroud.
#عاد_فارس_الى_امهقبل ان تتوفى لم تغب يوما عن اعتصامات الاسرى وكانت تقول …. " بس نفسي أحضنه "
Posted by عبد القادر طيطي on Wednesday, February 6, 2019
He participated in numerous hunger strikes and protests during his years in Israeli prison. Most recently, he held an open hunger strike in 2018 against the Palestinian Authority’s cuts to prisoners’ support, particularly those against prisoners from Gaza. After his strike, he suffered severe liver disease, but did not receive prompt medical care. Months later, he required surgery on his liver.
Baroud was held in Ramon prison and had been transferred to multiple prisons over the years. He was repeatedly held in isolation through his 27 years of imprisonment.
Following Baroud’s death, there are reports of widespread anger and rising protest from Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
(Samidoun, PC, Social Media)
