UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein expressed Thursday deep concern over “the significant deterioration” of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners’ health condition as they enter their 39th day of hunger strike in Israeli jails.
“I am especially alarmed by reports of punitive measures by the Israeli authorities against the hunger strikers including restricted access to lawyers and the denial of family visits” Al-Hussein said.
Al-Hussein emphasized the fact that having access to human rights lawyers is an essential right for prisoners which in the context of Palestinian prisoners would protect them from the human rights violations they endure inside Israeli prisoners.
More than 1700 prisoners took part in the hunger strike that began on 17 April demanding an end to the denial of family visits the right to pursue higher education appropriate medical care and treatment and an end to solitary confinement and administrative detention in addition to other demands for basic rights.
