Ashrawi calls for international inspection of Israel prisons

Member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Executive Committee, Hanan Ashrawi, has called for urgent action to inspect Israeli prisons and detention centres to ensure international law is applied to Palestinian prisoners.

In a press release issued yesterday, Ashrawi said the death of 51-year-old Fares Baroud was a result of deliberate medical negligence and it has unveiled how serious the deterioration in conditions in Israeli prisons is.

Baroud died of medical negligence in Israeli detention earlier this week. Detained in 1991 and sentenced to life in prison, in addition to 35 years for killing an Israeli settler, he suffered from a hernia, liver disease and asthma while in prison.

She stressed that the Israeli government and its prison authorities bear full responsibility for Baroud’s death.

Ashrawi called on the international community and human rights organisations to intervene quickly and open an international investigation into the causes of Baroud’s death and the conditions under which all prisoners and detainees are held by the Israeli occupation.

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