There are, at present, about 90 women political prisoners in the Israeli jails: In Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond) about 85, the rest in Neve Tirza Prison (Ramle) and in several detention centers.
Hasharon Prison (Tel Mond)
The conditions in the cells
It is still very cold and wet in the cells. Everything in the cells is damp. The women prisoners use cardboard to absorb the dampness from their beds. The permanent dampness causes a bad smell in the cells. They still cannot use any heaters because of electricity power problems that the prison authorities do not repair.
Fatmah elZuk, From Gaza, mother of 8 children, was arrested in May 2007. On 15 January 2008 she gave birth to her son Usef in Meir hospital in Kfar Saba. Immediately after the birth she had one leg tied to the bed. “Mandela Institute for Human Rights and Political Prisoners" submitted an appeal to the high court through advocate Taghreed Jahshan, demanding that a lawyer be allowed to visit Fatmah in hospital. The appeal was refused. After two days she was transferred back to prison.
In her cell there is a heater for the baby, but when she washes him it is too cold; the prisoners try to heat the cell by covering with a towel the door's window that is without glass, covered with bars only.
Nura elHashlamon, from Hebron, mother of six, an administrative detainee, was arrested on 17 September 2006: She stopped her hunger strike after 27 days, on 7 January 2008. On 16 January her husband, who is also an administrative detainee, visited her.
Wurud Qasem, 20 years old, from Tira, was arrested on 4 October 2006. On 27 January she was brought to the district court in Tel Aviv. Before the session began, her family members approached her to say hello. The guards did not allow this and dragged her so harshly that she fell down and hurt her hand.
New prisoners
Asmaa, 19 years old, from Hebron.
Suad el'Amad, 29 years old, from Nablus.
Sentences
Alaa Hagaiga, 21 years old, from Ramallah, was arrested on 5 December 2006. On 27 December 2007she was sentenced to two years.
Releases
Shifaa elKudsi, from Tulkarem, was arrested on 29 August 2002 and released on 10 January 2008. The prison authorities did not allow her to meet her brother who is a prisoner in the same prison.
Taghreed elSa'adi, from Sakhnin, was arrested on 16 April 2002 and released on 15 January 2008.
Nariman Bsis, was released on 15 January 2008.
Ruba elTalib, 19 years old, from Salfit, was arrested on 14 January 2007 and released on 16 January 2008.
Ahlam Kamiz, from Tulkarem Refugee Camp, was arrested on 22 November 2006 and released on 27 January 2008. Two of her brothers are political prisoners in the Israeli jails. During the 14 months that she was a prisoners, the prison authorities allowed her to meet only one of her brothers and only once.
Rania Diab, from Jenin district, was arrested on 21 April 2003 and released on 2 February 2008.
Neve Tirza prison (Ramle)
Amneh Muna, 30 years old, from Jerusalem, has been held in separation for more than 17 months. On 6 January she stopped her hunger strike after 24 days. When she was on hunger strike the prisoner authorities transferred her to the prison clinic, and for four days her hands and legs were tied to the bed because the authorities forced her to get infusions.
On 7 January, the prison authorities transferred her to Kishon detention center (Jalame) to a cell with better conditions. Only just before she was transferred from Neve Tirza, the prison authorities handed over the mail she had received: About 300 letters from abroad.
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