Monday, March 9, 2015

Female Palestinian prisoners remembered on Women’s Day

Female Palestinian prisoners remembered on Women’s Day


RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — Marking International Women’s Day, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society released a statement dedicated to 20 Palestinian women serving in Israel jails.


The statement highlighted Lina al-Jarbouni who has been in Israeli custody since 2002. Al-Jarbouni has played a major role defending the rights of Palestinian women in Israeli jails, acting as a representative in talks with the Israeli prison service, said the statement.


Al-Jarbouni was born in 1974 in the town of Arraba in Galilee, which Israel occupied in 1948. She finished high school but never had the chance to realize her dream of studying nursing when she was detained by Israeli forces on April 18, 2002. Originally sentenced to 17 years, the sentence was lowered to 15 after her lawyer appealed the court decision. She has been in Hasharon prison ever since.


Having served 13 years in Israeli custody, the statement added, she suffered from severe cholecystitis, but the Israeli prison service “neglected” her, and she had to wait a year before she could have choleycystectomy, according to the prisoner’s society.


Her family had hoped she would be released in 2011 as part of the Shalit prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel.


“As a family we had some of the toughest days when Lina was not included in the prisoner swap deal in 2011,” family members said. They highlighted that Lina’s mother continues to visit her in Israeli jails despite the fact that she is in her seventies.


The statement ended with a list of Palestinian women currently serving in Israeli custody. The prisoners are Lina al-Jarbouni, serving 15 years, Dima al-Sawahira from Jerusalem, serving 18 months, Fidaa Suleiman from Ramallah, serving seven months, Dunia Wakid from Tulkarem, serving 42 months, Wiam Jabir from Nablus, serving 32 months, Nahil Abu Eisha from Hebron, serving 33 months, Bushra al-Taweel from Ramallah, serving 16 months and Falastin Najim from Nablus, serving four years.


The rest of female prisoners are still awaiting court decision and the statement listed them as Muna Qidan from Jenin, Hala Abu Sal from Hebron, Amal Taqatqa from Bethlehem, Shirin al-Eisawi from Jerusalem, Fidaa Daamas from hebron, Samahir Zein al-Din from Nablus, Thurayya al-Bazzaz from Ramallah, Ihsan Dababsa from Hebron, Yasmin Shaaban from Jenin, Haniyeh Nasser from Ramallah, Lina Khattab from Ramallah and Yaman Amarnah from Jenin.



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