The Israeli authorities should release Walid Daqqah a terminally ill Palestinian prisoner so he can access specialist medical care and spend his remaining time with his family Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Walid Daqqah 62 suffers from chronic lung disease and bone marrow cancer and the clinic at Israel’s Ayalon Prison is ill-equipped to deal with his conditions.
Following his cancer diagnosis last year the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) denied Walid Daqqah access to a potentially life-saving bone marrow transplant by refusing to transfer him to a civilian hospital.
“Walid Daqqah’s case illustrates the Israeli justice system’s cruelty towards Palestinians including those who are seriously ill or dying. Walid’s health conditions have already been exacerbated by medical neglect on the part of the Israeli Prison Service &ndash when he had a stroke earlier this year the IPS refused to transfer him to a proper hospital for 11 days a delay which led to life-threatening complications. Now Walid Daqqah faces the prospect of a painful death behind bars&rdquo said Heba Morayef Amnesty International’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
&ldquoDenying prisoners access to adequate medical care violates international standards on the treatment of detainees and may constitute torture. Israeli authorities must release Walid Daqqah on humanitarian grounds as soon as possible and ensure that he is provided with the medical care he urgently needs.&rdquo
Walid Daqqah served a 37-year prison sentence for his involvement with an armed group that abducted and killed an Israeli soldier in 1984. He completed this sentence in March 2023. However in 2018 he was sentenced to a further two years on charges of attempting to smuggle phones to other Palestinian prisoners. He is now due for release in March 2025 &ndash a date he may not live to see.
On June 26 2023 a special parole board rejected Walid Daqqah’s request for early release on the grounds of his illness. On August 7 2023 the Lod District Court rejected Walid Daqqah’s petition against the parole board’s decision.
Amnesty International’s 2022 report on Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians sets out how the Israeli military justice system systematically discriminates against Palestinians and denies them the right to a fair trial and due process.
Meanwhile the IPS escalated its repressive policies against Palestinian prisoners specifically those held in Ramon prison.
Dozens of prisoners were arbitrary transferred to other prisons over the past few days as part of the Israeli punitive measures.
