NOVANEWS
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) expresses extreme concern over the fate of Samer al-Eissawi, who has been on hunger strike in Israeli jails for more than 200 days. PCHR holds the Israeli occupation authorities responsible for his wellbeing, and calls upon the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli authorities to immediately release him and other administrative detainees.
Samer al-Eissawi, 33, from Jerusalem, has been on hunger strike since 1 August 2012, in protest against being re-arrested and placed under administrative detention. His re-arrest took place after he was released in the context of the prisoners’ exchange between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli authorities in October 2011, under which 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange for the captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.
According to various human rights groups, the health conditions of al-Eissawi, who is detained in Ramla Prison Hospital, is continuously deteriorating as a result of the protracted length of his hunger strike, and him recently abstaining from drinking water, taking vitamins or having his blood pressure checked, in an attempt to pressurize the Israeli authorities to release him.
According to medical sources, al-Eissawi’s health condition is continuously deteriorating; his weight dropped to 46 kilograms, he is unable to walk and uses a wheelchair for movement, and he also suffers from general weakness. In a message sent yesterday from prison, al-Eissawi said that doctors had informed him that “I am subject to strokes as I suffer from tachycardia, shortage of sugar and low blood pressure. My body temperature is low and I have become insomniac due to the constant pain.”
PCHR has extreme concern over the fate of al-Eissawi, who is on hunger strike in Israeli jails, and:
1. Calls upon the international community to exert pressure on the Israeli forces to immediately release him, in order to save his life;
2. Calls upon human rights organizations and international solidarity organizations to continue their advocacy efforts to end to the misuse of administrative detentions by the Israeli forces, in violation of the fundamental right to a fair trial;
3. Notes with grave concern the deterioration of living conditions of more than 4,700 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
