Palestinian deported from his home country holds talk in Navan

By Eoin Ryan

Meath residents heard of the inhumane conditions Palestinian protesters put in administrative detention currently face in Israeli prisons.

French-Palestinian human rights defender Salah Hammouri was subjected to these conditions for 10 years over a 20 year period before being illegally deported from his home country.

Salah Hammouri was deported last December from Israel-Palestine and was stripped of his East Jerusalem residency status.

Hammouri has been repeatedly sent to administrative detention without trial since he was 16 years old due to his open opposition against the Palestinian occupation.

Local residents heard how “The conditions are made to destroy the human beings in the prisons,” with human rights routinely being abused.

Currently there are 4,900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, 971 of which are administrative detainees. This includes 1,000 prisoners suffering with illness or mental health issues, 118 underage detainees, and 300 who have spent more than 20 years in prison.

One of these underage detainees, 13 at the time, “was tortured physically and psychologically throughout his interrogation” when entering the prison. Two years later, he was sent to an isolation cell which only permits him one hour in the yard each day. Israeli authorities refused to end his detainment despite him developing psychological issues while receiving zero medical support.

2,400 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli occupation forces since 2000 and 700 children are arrested on a yearly basis.

Since 2000, Israeli occupation forces have killed over 2,400 Palestinian children and 

Blind prisoners were given little to no support by Israeli authorities with fellow Palestinian becoming their primary caretakers during detention.

“Blind prisoners, they have no rights. We ask for books for them to read. This was refused. Sticks to walk in the yard. It was refused. Everything was refused. We were the responsible persons to do everything for them.”

Hammouri’s story has been highlighted by Amnesty International, Frontline Defenders, and the International Federation for Human Rights.