UA: 338/09 Index: MDE 21/005/2009

Palestinian Autority: Human rights defender denied medical care
Saed Yassin, a male Palestinian human rights defender, has been detained without proper judicial process by the Palestinian Authority in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He is being denied medical care even though he is suffering from a painful and undiagnosed condition.

There are concerns for the health of Saed Yassin, who has been held in detention in Nablus, in the West Bank, by the Palestinian Authority since 19 November 2009. The Palestinian Authority General Intelligence Services arrested him on 19 November and he has been held in Jneid prison in Nablus since then, though he was allowed briefly to go home for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha at the end of November. He has had no access to legal counsel, there are no known charges against him and there have been no reviews of his detention by the public prosecutor or a judge, as required by Palestinian law.

Saed Yassin is the director of the Nablus branch of Ansar al-Sajeen, an organization that provides support to families of prisoners. He was placed under administrative detention by the Israeli authorities on 15 October 2006, and was released on 22 October 2009 to his home in Nablus.
During Saed Yassin’s previous detention in Israel he developed a painful gastric condition, which has now worsened. He was given generic painkillers on 14 December but has had no access to specialized medical consultation.

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELY in English, Arabic or your own language:
 Calling on the authorities to release Saed Yassin unless he is charged with a recognizable criminal offence and tried in conformity with international standards for fair trials;
 Urging them to provide Saed Yassin with specialized medical care for his painful gastric condition without delay;
 Expressing concern that Saed Yassin has been detained without standard legal procedures, including an arrest warrant, access to legal counsel and timely judicial reviews.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 27 JANUARY 2009 TO:
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

Mahmoud Abbas
President
Office of the President
Ramallah
Palestinian Authority, via Israel
Fax: +970-2-2963179
Email: info@president.ps
Salutation: Dear President

Dr Salam Fayyad
Prime Minister
The Prime Minister’s Office
Al-Masyoun
P.O. Box 2466
Ramallah
Palestinian Authority, via Israel
Fax: +972-2-2950979 Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
Sa’id Abu Ali

Minister of the Interior
Ministry of Interior
Al-Balou
P.O. Box 641
Ramallah
Palestinian Authority, via Israel
Fax: +972-2-2406482
Salutation: Dear Minister

Dr Ali Kashaan
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
Al-Masyoun
Ramallah
Palestinian Authority, via Israel
Fax: +972-2-2409870; +972-2-2401850
Salutation: Dear Minister

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.

Délégation Générale Palestinienne
Rue Franklin 111
1000 Bruxelles
FAX : 02/735.24.78
E-mail: deleg.palestinienne@skynet.be

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Saed Yassin has been suffering from a stomach pain but did not have a chance to have it diagnosed before he was arrested by the Palestinian Authority. His family has raised concerns about detention conditions in Jneid prison, where he is held currently by the Palestinian Authority, saying that facilities in the prison are unsanitary and the food and heating are inadequate.

Saed Yassin had been originally arrested by the Israeli military on 6 March 2006. Following interrogation he was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment on a charge of “channeling funds in an illegal manner”. This is believed to have been in connection with his work at Ansar al-Sajeen. He served his sentence in full but before his scheduled release, on 15 October 2006, the Israeli military issued a six-month administrative detention order, which was renewed eight times until Saed Yassin’s release on 22 October 2009. Ketziot prison in Israel, where Saed Yassin had been held, is known for its harsh conditions as it is located in the desert and the prisoners are held in tents or static caravans.

Administrative detention is a procedure that the Israeli military uses to detain Palestinians without charge on the basis of a military order, stated to be in the interest of security, which can be renewed indefinitely. Amnesty International believes that its use violates basic rights including the right to a fair trial.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has been regularly detaining individuals it calls “security suspects” without respecting legal procedures. This practice has been used against supporters of political factions that oppose the governing parties and against journalists who report for outlets sympathetic to the opposition factions. In certain cases, detainees have suffered torture and other ill-treatment, and in the past year at least one person has died in custody as an alleged result of such treatment. The Hamas de facto administration in the Gaza Strip has been engaged in similar practices.

Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas administration to follow legal procedures at all times, and has noted with concern the pattern of Palestinian arrests in the West Bank following release from detention in Israel.