RAMALLAH, (PIC)
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said on Thursday that it has obtained testimonies confirming the brutal beating, humiliation, and strip-search of Palestinian female prisoners during their transfer to the Hasharon prison in northern Israel.
The PPS published testimonies from released prisoners and others still in detention.
According to a testimony from one prisoner (A. Sh), she said, “We, along with other prisoners, arrived at Hasharon prison. They placed us in a cell filled with water, with an unusable toilet, then transferred us to another cell.”
She continued, “We were subjected to strip searches by female guards, and one of the guards hit me in the face after I had already endured brutal beatings during my arrest.”
In another testimony from the prisoner (N. S), she said, “Three guards came and treated me very cruelly and humiliatingly, constantly using the worst language. They forced me to walk while my hands and feet were shackled, and a blindfold covered my eyes. Throughout my transfer, one of the female guards kept saying, ‘This is not your homeland, leave (it).'”
She added, “A group of us, female prisoners held on the same night, underwent a strip search upon entering the cell, and after being taken out one by one, they tied our hands and legs.”
According to several testimonies documented by the PPS, “In the prison corridor, there is a cell with an open window, and the cold air is unbearable, especially at night. The mattresses and blankets are unsuitable for use because they are dirty and have a very unpleasant odor. Anyone standing at the cell door can see those using the bathroom.”
The prisoners also reported, “There is no privacy for female prisoners; besides, the cells are close to those of common criminals, who scream constantly.”
The statement noted that the testimonies of prisoners, both male and female, regarding torture and abuse, are ongoing and escalating unprecedentedly since October 7 of last year.
According to the PPS, Israel currently detains 90 female prisoners, with 50 from Gaza, all held in extremely harsh conditions.
The PPS and others institutions concerned with prisoners warned of systematic arrest campaigns carried out by Israel against Palestinians, accompanied by “wide-ranging storming and torture operations, brutal beatings, threats against detainees and their families, in addition to field investigations and the sabotage and destruction of citizens’ homes, and direct gunfire with the intent to kill.”
This coincides with a massive Israeli military aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7, resulting in, as of Wednesday, “25,700 martyrs and 63,740 injuries, mostly children and women,” according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
