Gaza Ministry of Detainees’ Affairs: Family Visits to Start

Gaza Ministry of Detainees’ Affairs: Family Visits to Start Monday

by Julie Webb-Pullman
12/07/2012

Translator: Mukarram AbuAlouf

In an interview this afternoon, Gaza Minister of Detainees' Affairs Dr Atallah AbuSebah informed that family visits for prisoners from Gaza will begin from next Monday.

But will the Rikhawi children's father still be alive by the time they arrive?

Dr AbuSebah said that he had met with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) this morning and demanded that the ICRC guarantee the safe arrival and return of the families visiting their loved ones in Israeli jails. He also demanded that the family members not be subjected to strip searches.

He informed that ICRC personnel will accompany the family members.

When asked about the length and regularity of the Gaza family visits, the Minister said that such details had not been discussed, and that it was not possible to know the answer until the families actually got there.

With regard to Akram Rikhawi, Dr AbuSebah said the ICRC refused to give him any details about Akram's medical condition, on the grounds of confidentiality. The ICRC told him they could only divulge such details to members of Akram Rikhawi's family.

Dr AbuSebah stressed that the Israeli Prison Authorities have still not committed to the Al Karamah Agreement that ended the prisoners' hunger strike, pointing out that Israel continues to practise Administrative Detention, that Dirar Abu Sisi is still in solitary confinement, and that Palestinian prisoners continue to be mistreated and tortured, and to have medical treatment with-held from them.

ENDS

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