Ramallah, 10 October 2011—Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association calls for immediate action on behalf of Ahmad Sa’adat, the imprisoned Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), whose health has quickly deteriorated after 14 days of hunger strike. On 27 September 2011, when Mr. Sa’adat, along with other PFLP prisoners, entered an open-ended hunger strike to protest their worsening detention conditions, the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) responded by confiscating fluids like milk and juice, as well as salt, leaving prisoners with water as their only nourishment.

On 6 and 9 October, lawyers from Addameer and other organizations were finally able to visit Ahmad Sa’adat in Nafha Prison, where he has been held in isolation since 11 March 2009, and assess his health condition. The lawyers reported that Mr. Sa’adat has already lost 5 kg since the beginning of the hunger strike and shows signs of extreme fatigue and low levels of concentration, with the visits having to be cut short as a result. During the latest lawyer visit on 9 October, which lasted 30 minutes, Mr. Sa’adat fainted once and reported that he had been throwing up yellow liquid. According to an independent doctor’s opinion, these symptoms can all be linked directly to the IPS’s decision to confiscate salt from the hunger-striking prisoners. The doctor confirmed that individuals on hunger strike usually lose between 5-7 kg during the first 10 days of a strike, as Mr. Sa’adat has done, followed by an additional weight loss of 7-10 kg in the subsequent 10 days. Given his starting weight and general health condition, which has been adversely affected by his long-term isolation, Mr. Sa’adat could lose up to 23% of his body weight within 20 days, putting him at serious risk.
 
Addameer is extremely concerned about Mr. Sa’adat’s current health condition and believes that he should be hospitalized immediately so that any further worsening in his condition can be monitored closely. In addition, the IPS should return salt to all hunger-striking prisoners to prevent any drastic deterioration in their health conditions. Addameer therefore urges the international community, including activists and supporters of human rights and justice for the Palestinians, to intervene on behalf of Mr. Sa’adat by:
  • Writing a letter to the IPS calling on them to immediately hospitalize Mr. Sa’adat and provide him with adequate medical treatment, as well as return salt to all the prisoners taking part in the hunger strike;
  • Writing a letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross calling on them to immediately visit Mr. Sa’adat and continue to do so on a regular basis to monitor his health condition.
Address your letters to:
 
Israeli Prison Service
Sivan Weizman, Spokesperson
Fax: (+972) 89 19 38 10
IPS Legal Advisor
Fax: (+972) 89 19 38 40
 
International Committee of the Red Cross
Mr. Juan Pedro Schaerer – Head of Tel Aviv Delegation
Fax: (+972) 35 27 03 70
 
International Committee of the Red Cross
Ms. Barbara Amstad – Head of Jerusalem Mission
Fax: (+972 2) 59 17 920