The long years of imprisonment left its marks on the body of Taysir Najib Shami Samoudi from the town of Al-Yamoun west of Jenin in the northern West Bank as he turned 62 years old (born October 30 1955) while still in prison serving his last year there.
While 2018 is the last year of Samoudi’s imprisonment and his 23-year sentence will be over his health has been severely damaged.
He spent years of harsh imprisonment including constant isolation transfer and bitterness accompanied by an institutional neglect of his health and the lack of follow up of his condition as a sick prisoner depriving him of his right to medical care.
Kidnapped
The story of Al-Samoudi started on 22 January 1996 when he was kidnapped by the Israeli occupation forces while he was being transported by a security vehicle belonging to the Palestinian Preventive Security Service from Jenin to Jericho prison of the Palestinian Authority. The Preventive Security vehicle was stopped at the entrance of Jericho and he was arrested.
Al-Samoudi was earlier detained by the Palestinian Preventive Forces in Jenin. He was taken to Jericho Central Prison. On the way he was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces and transferred to Jalameh prison inside the 1948 Occupied Territories. He was interrogated and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
The occupation authorities accused Al-Samoudi of carrying out a series of attacks against the occupation soldiers. At the time it was surprising to the occupation that Al-Samoudi was the one who stood behind a series of attacks individually and through a personal group made of his relatives and using his personal weapon. What shocked the occupation was that he carried out the attacks while security estimates suggested otherwise.
Al-Samoudi’s indictment included the responsibility for an improvised explosive device attack on Al-Sadaa Military Camp of the occupation army in 1995. The camp was not later vacated and handed over to the Palestinian Authority. He was also indicted for ambushing an Israeli army patrol near Tulkarem where two soldiers were seriously wounded along with other shooting attacks that confused the Israeli occupation forces.
A body exhausted by illness
According to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club Al-Samoudi lives in a very poor health condition in Eshel Prison. He suffers from a number of diseases including heart problems sciatica breathing difficulty loss of vision in one eye and paralysis of one leg due to a blood clot resulting from a stroke he suffered in 2008.
As a result of the medical negligence in the prisons of the occupation and the lack of adequate treatment and follow-up the impact of the stroke he suffered was particularly damaging to his movement and sight.
Al-Samoudi’s family is made of four kids: Sherif Shorouq Shuaa and Shumou. They grew up and got married while he was in prison. His grandchildren are waiting for him to spend the rest of his days with them to catch up and finally enjoy life in a warm family atmosphere.
