A 33-year-old Palestinian journalist, Bushra al-Taweel, has reportedly been held in solitary confinement for 46 consecutive days at Israel’s Ohalei Oz prison in the southern city of Beersheba, according to Palestinian prisoner rights groups.Al-Taweel was previously held at Damon Prison in Haifa and Neve Tirza Prison in central Israel. She has reportedly been transferred between prisons several times.Lawyers denied regular accessThe Palestinian Prisoners Society, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and the PLO’s Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said her repeated transfers have prevented her lawyers from meeting her regularly.On Wednesday, a lawyer was reportedly informed that al-Taweel had again been moved to another location, resulting in the cancellation of a scheduled visit.Held without charge or trialAccording to the organisations, al-Taweel has been detained since February under an administrative detention order without formal charges or trial.Administrative detention allows authorities to hold a person without filing formal charges or conducting a trial. The groups described al-Taweel as one of the better-known Palestinian women detainees to have been held under administrative detention in recent years.Concerns over prolonged solitary confinementThe prisoner rights groups have raised concerns about al-Taweel’s prolonged solitary confinement, saying it may violate international standards.The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, prohibit prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement. The rules define solitary confinement lasting more than 15 days as prolonged solitary confinement.Al-Taweel has reportedly spent 46 days in isolation, well beyond that threshold.The Palestinian organisations said prolonged isolation could pose serious risks to detainees’ mental health. They also alleged that the practice of isolating Palestinian prisoners, particularly women, has increased in recent months.According to the groups, such conditions may also prevent detainees from learning about the allegations against them and challenging their detention through legal means.Call for international interventionThe organisations have called on international bodies to intervene immediately.They have specifically urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to work towards ending al-Taweel’s solitary confinement and securing her release.Her father was also detainedAl-Taweel’s father, Jamal al-Taweel, was also an administrative detainee and spent several years in Israeli prisons.According to Palestinian prisoner rights organisations, around 9,500 Palestinians are currently detained in Israeli prisons. They say the figure includes around 90 women and more than 350 children.Sources: Middle East Monitor and Anadolu Agency
সহজ ও দ্রুত খবরের আপডেট পেতে আমাদের অ্যাপটি ইন্সটল করুন।
