Palestinian Prisoners Launch Mass Hunger Strike
Last Monday, thousands of Palestinian prisoners participated in launching a mass hunger strike against the Israeli government.These Palestinian prisoners are asking the human rights organization to give some interest with the situation of the prisoners under the Israeli's jails.
According to CNN, the Palestinian Authority Prisoner's Affairs Minister Issa Qaraqe said that over 1600 prisoners took part in the said hunger strikes and more prisoners are expected to participate the strike that will coincide the Palestinian Prisoner's Day.Qaraqe even urged more Palestinians to support the strike as a way of bringing the prisoners closer to their basic rights and demands and preventing the dignity of Palestinian Prisoners from harm.
The strike is considered as the largest in recent years and lead by the high profile inmate Marwan Barghouti, 57 who was arrested by Israeli government last 2002 because of murder. Barghouti won a widespread respect among the inmates and Palestinian faction, in fact, he is the most favored figure by the people of Palestine to take over President Mahmoud Abbas.
According to ShiiteNEWS, there are 6,500 political prisoners of Palestine including 500 administrative detainees. The prisoners are demanding the government to install public telephone to have communication with their families and relatives, to resume a bi-monthly family visit, to allow the second-degree relatives to visit them, to increase the duration during visits and to allow prisoners to take photographs with their families.
Amina al-Taweel, a spokesperson of Hebron-based Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies told Al Jazeera that even though it is a difficult and dangerous decision, prisoners are looking it as the only way and option to hear their needs. Al-taweel also added that the prisoners will not stop until they cannot achieve their demands, in fact, prisoners are looking the strike as the only way to knock on and to attain their rights.
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