Surprise about arrival: Former SDE Teiman prisoners support doctor
Surprise about arrival: Former SDE Teiman prisoners support doctor
Two former Palestinian prisoners who were recently released from the notorious SDE Teiman prison in Israel reported that they were the prominent Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya there last month. They stated that he arrived in a "bad condition".
condition of Hussam Abu Safiya
The former prisoners described that Abu Safiya looked both physically and mentally exhausted and that they were surprised to find him there. So far, Israel has not stated where Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital is in northern Gaza, is recorded, but he is examined for alleged membership at Hamas what the former prisoners rejected as wrong.
reactions to the arrest
"Everyone was surprised at his arrival because he is a humanitarian doctor who does not belong to any organization," said Mustafa Hassouna, one of the former prisoners, who was released in Central Gaza last month together with Mohammad Al-Ramlawi. The Israeli defense forces (IDF) arrested Abu Safiya at the end of an attack that was his hospital, which was the last functioning health facility in Nordgaza in December
reports on ill -treatment
In an interview from Deir Al-Balah in Central Gaza, Hassouna Cnn told Abu Safiya when he arrived in SDE Teiman and was initially unable to speak. However, the former prisoners do not believe that Abu Safiya was tortured. An earlier examination of CNN covered allegations of abuse in prison, including doctors who had amputated due to injuries caused by constant handcuffs.
legal situation and prison extension
A lawyer of Physicians for Human Rights Israel (Phri), a human rights organization, informed CNN on Friday that Abu Safiya was brought to court in Ashkelon without the knowledge or presence of a lawyer and that the Israeli authorities have extended his detention until February 13th. The IDF announced that Abu Safiya "is currently being examined by the Israeli security forces".
experiences of the former prisoners
al-Ramlawi reported that he saw Abu Safiya when the Israeli military brought him to prison on December 27th. "Abu Safiya came to us in very bad condition," said Al-Ramlawi. "We asked him what was going on and he said he was humiliated and treated poorly." Abu Safiya told the other prisoners that the Israeli military "came to the hospital, killed five members of the medical staff and set the Kamal Adwan hospital on fire before the doctor."
living conditions in prison
Both former prisoners described the poor conditions at the military location in Israel's Negev desert, which also serves as a prison. They reported that Abu Safiya was captured in "Cell number two". Her detention area included four barracks and six cells. Abu Safiya has not been seen publicly since he was arrested at the end of December. He had previously been arrested at the end of October but was released several hours later. His family announced that his mother died of a heart attack this week.
reports on torture and abuse
Both Al-Ramlawi and Hassouna reported that they were tortured in SDE Teiman. "We suffer from many things, including a lack of food and biting cold," said Al-Ramlawi to CNN and noted that the prisoners were forced to take painful positions for hours. "The humiliation is unbearable," he added. "The treatment that the military spaces gave us is very, very bad." Hassouna reported that soldiers sprayed pepper spray in the eyes of the prisoners and put dogs to intimidate them.
opinion of the IDF
In response to the allegations, the IDF said in a statement that "the abuse of prisoners during their imprisonment violates the law and the orders of the IDF and is therefore strictly prohibited." The IDF rejected the allegations of a systematic abuse of prisoners, including violence or torture, and added that "in certain cases, members of the detention staff were released because they did not behave as expected and according to the establishment."Last message from Abu Safiya
al-Ramlawi reported that Abu Safiya asked him to contact his wife and son in Gaza on his last day in Sde Teiman and to ask his family, "the press to notify the Red Cross or some organization to help with his situation and the crisis in which he is located." The IDF previously stated that all prisoners who are brought to SDE Teiman are interrogated and the same questions about the locations of the Israeli hostages, the tunnels used by Hamas and where Hamas is stored by their weapons.