There are, at present, about 36 women political prisoners in the Israeli jails: about 19 in Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond), about 14 in Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain), one woman in Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle) and the rest in several detention centers.
Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond)
The conditions in the cells
Recently, the prison authorities' attitude has become harsher and during the last religious holiday ('Eid-el-Adha) they prohibited the prisoners from praying together and spending time together. There are also more searches in the cells, and every day (sometimes more than once) the wardens enter the cells and check the bars.
Majda Fadda,
from Nablus, an administrative detainee, a member of the Municipality Council, was arrested on 5 August 2008. On 29 November 2009, the Israeli authorities extended her administrative detention.
Hanaa Shalabi,
from Burqin, Jenin district, an administrative detainee, was arrested on 14 September 2009 and brought to Kishon Detention Center (Jalameh) where the guards treated her rudely and cruelly. They tied her to a bed from about 15:00 o'clock till next day about 10:00 o'clock. All these hours she stayed without food and water and without the possibility to go to the toilet.
She endured interrogations and was verbally abused. At the beginning of October, she was transferred to Hasharon Prison. On 6 October 2009, the Israeli authorities issued an administrative detention order of six months against her.
Ahlam elTamimi,
24 years old, from Ramallah, was arrested on 14 September 2001. The prison authorities still prohibit her from meeting her husband who is also a political prisoner in an Israeli prison.
Irena Sarahna,
from Dehaishe Refugee Camp, Bethlehem district, was arrested on 23 May 2002; her husband is also a political prisoner in an Israeli prison. She did not meet him since 29 April 2009. She asked to meet him but the prison authorities refused her request.
Sentence
Randa elShahatit,
25 years old, from Dura, Hebron district, was arrested on 6 January 2009 and sentenced, on 24 December 2009, to 50 months.
New prisoners
Nilly Safadi,
33 years old, from Nablus, was arrested on 11 November 2009 at an Israeli checkpoint on her way from Ramallah back to her house. During more than a month, the Israeli authorities prohibited her from meeting a lawyer. She was brought to Petah Tiqva detention center where she had to endure harsh interrogations, and the prison authorities constantly moved her from cell to cell. In all the cells she had to sleep on a mattress on the floor. On 28 December she was transferred to Hasharon Prison.
Sumoud Qaraja,
from Safa, Ramallah district, a student of Social Work in an Open University in the West Bank, was arrested on 25 October 2009 at Qalandya checkpoint (an Israeli checkpoint). The arrest was very violent: the soldiers beat her severely, she was then brought to Mosqobiya (Russian Compound, a detention center in Jerusalem) where she endured interrogations. The interrogators threatened and cursed her. Later, she was transferred to Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond).
'Aysha 'Ghanimat,
19 years old, a high school student, from Surif, Hebron district, a former prisoner, was arrested on 2 September 2009 on her way to school. During the arrest the soldiers beat her severely and knocked her head against the jeep. She was brought to Mosqobiya (Russian Compound, a detention center in Jerusalem) where she endured interrogations. During the interrogations her hands where tied behind her back, and the interrogators cursed her and spoke rudely. After about three weeks she was transferred to Hasharon Prison.
Released prisoners
Randa elRub,
27 years old, from Ramallah, was arrested on 21 September 2009 and on 14 October 2009 released on bail of 2000 NIS.
Mayser 'Atiani,
45 years old, from Nablus, who works in a women's association, was arrested on 10 December 2009 from her house. The arrest was very brutal: at 1 o'clock at night many Israeli army Jeeps surrounded her house, the soldiers invaded the house and forced her mother, 82 years old, to wait outside in the cold. Then the soldiers invaded Mayser's brother's house and forced him, his wife and their children, to wait outside. She was brought to Hasharon Prison and released on 21 December 2009.
Damoon Prison (Carmel Mountain)
Letters
The prisoners receive letters from abroad but cannot answer because there are no stamps in the canteen.
Iman Ghazawi,
from Tulkarem, was arrested on 3 August 2001: the parole board refused her request for early release after she had served more than two thirds of her term.
'Aysha 'Abayat,
from Bethlehem,
Nasreen Abu Zina,
from Tulkarem, and
Suad Nazal,
from Qalqilya were transferred from Hasharon Prison to Damoon Prison in October 2009.