Fifty-eight Palestinian female prisoners including seven minors are being held in Israeli jails under hard conditions, a lawyer working for the Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs Hanan al-Khatib has said.
According to Khatib, the youngest female prisoner is 14-year-old Kariman Swidan from the West Bank village of Azzun.
Khatib said that five of the prisoners were wounded by the Israeli army prior to their arrest.
She explained that they are being held in “miserable conditions”, noting that Damon prison, which was recently reopened, lacks electrical equipment. There is also a problem with overcrowding with each cell having a total of 17 beds and just one toilet.
The prisoners are afraid of diseases and pollution, and there are cases of infections among prisoners, Khatib added.
“The prisoners are transported in cold cars, and the trip takes long hours, even days to the courthouse where the prisoners have to wait for long hours in the cold,” Khatib explained, adding that some of the prisoners waive their right to attend their court sessions to avoid the “miserable trip”.
Khatib warned that the prisoners are suffering from great psychological pressure and that many need medical assistance.
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