EXPERTS: BARGHOUTHI FACES DEATH
Gaza City, 13 Ramadhan 1434/21 July 2012 (MINA) – Tawfiq Abu Naim, Head of the “Wa’ed” Society for Prisoner’s Affairs said that the hunger striking prisoner and Qassam leader Abdullah Barghouti is suffering a serious health condition as a result of the ongoing hunger strike for more than 70 days.
Abu Naim told Alresalah.ps that Barghouti began his strike, shortly his release from his solitary confinement, pointing out that a year in solitary confinement is equivalent to five years in regular prison cell.
For its part, the Prisoners’ Center for Studies said that all the lawyers’ reports confirm the seriousness of the health problems of Barghouthi, and called for escalating the of activities in solidarity with him
Barghouthi has been suffering from several problems with heart rate, kidney, liver, arteries and vision, according to Alresalah.ps report monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
The Center called on Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the Jordanian government, the Palestinian Authority and the international institutions; particularly the International Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to intervene and save the life of captive Barghouthi.
It has also appealed to the free peoples around the world, the national and Islamic forces and the Palestinian and Arab embassies, to take real steps in the Western countries and friendly States in support of Barghouthi.
For his part, lawyer Hanan Al-Khatib said that Barghouti has been suffering from serious deterioration in his health condition as a result of atrophy of the liver due to his ongoing hunger strike.
Khatib, who visited the prisoner in Afula Hospital, stated that Barghouthi has started to suffer severe problems with heart rate and that over the past week he was given an anti-inflammatory injection and other injections for his heart and liver.
She noted that prisoner Barghouthi is suffering from fainting spells caused by hypoglycemia, adding that his status begun to stabilize after he started to take sugar with water.
The prison administration’s medical committee threatened to intervene and force feed him, under the pretext of preserving his life.
The Qassam leader stressed that he is determined to continue his hunger strike, and demanded the release of all Jordanian prisoners to Jordan, adding that they have been waiting for an official intervention to find a quick solution to their cause.
Abdallah Barghouhi, is serving 67 life sentences, started a hunger strike on 2 May 2013 in Gilboa Prison. He is on strike with the Jordanian prisoners, as well as to protest the denial of visits from his family members in Jordan. Barghouthi was swiftly moved to isolation in Ramoun prison upon announcing his hunger strike and is now held in Aufla Prison Hospital due to his deteriorating health condition.
Continue to Escalate
According to Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, Addameer, The individual hunger strikes continue to escalate. At the time of publication, there are thirteen prisoners on hunger strike, five of them Jordanians in protest of their denial of family visits and deteriorated conditions. Overall this quarter, there have been 29 individual hunger strikers.
Two long-term hunger strikers, Ayman Sharawna and Samer Issawi reached an agreement with the Israeli Prison Service to end their hunger strikes during this quarter. (T/P02/E1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
