The Commission for Prisoners Affairs at the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has called on the United Nations to urge Israeli authorities to release Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jail amid fears of the spread of the coronavirus.
The head of the commission, Qadri Abu Bakr, was quoted by local media as saying the UN is “aware that Israeli jails are among the most crowded in the world”.
“They [Israeli jails] lack the minimum health and safety conditions – creating an environment for the spread of the coronavirus,” Abu Bakr said.
Freedom for our prisoners الحرية لاسرانا من سجون الاحتلالIt’s impossible for anyone in the world to imagine the…
Posted by Khalil El-Halabi on Sunday, March 22, 2020
The call came after Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan last week ordered the release of some 500 Israeli prisoners who have been placed under house arrest.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, at least four Palestinian prisoners in an Israeli prison have tested positive for COVID-19.
Prisoners have threatened to launch a hunger strike if measures to protect them against the virus are not implemented.
#Israeli Authorities Deny #Palestinian #Prisoners Tested Positive for #Coronavirus https://t.co/P8iCOdsaYn via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/hTgggXbqNS
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) March 20, 2020
Last year, Erdan promised to worsen conditions for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including rationing water supplies and reducing the number of family visits.
Around 5,700 Palestinians, including numerous women and children, are currently detained in Israeli prisons.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club, 90 percent of prisoners have become ill while in prison due to poor conditions and negligence which may have exacerbated their health.
(AJE, PC, Social Media)
