Ministry of prisoners holds IOA responsible for lives of Raymond detainees

Ministry of prisoners holds IOA responsible for lives of Raymond detainees

The ministry of prisoners” affairs held the IOA fully responsible for the lives of Palestinian prisoners in the Raymond prison after a painful skin infection swept through the jail and infected dozens of Palestinian prisoners with this disease as a result of the unhealthy incarceration conditions in this jail and the policy of medical neglect practiced by Israel against all Palestinian prisoners.


In a press statement received by the PIC, Riyadh Al-Ashqar, the director of the information office in the ministry, explained that an infectious skin disease has spread recently among the Raymond prisoners and infected about 60 of them with symptoms similar to those caused by eczema but they are more serious.


According to Ashqar, the prison administration refused, despite the many appeals made to it, to bring a doctor specialized in skin diseases. Instead relied on its doctor inside the jail who said that this disease was momentary and would disappear quickly, but his diagnosis went wrong and the skin disease aggravated and spread among other prisoners, he elaborated.


The Palestinian official added that the prison doctor also prescribed several types of medicines to the infected inmates, but all of them were ineffective and caused other symptoms like a reeling sensation which prompted the prisoners to stop taking medication.


The official noted that the Israeli prison administrations consider the Raymond prison is the best place for punishment, where they transfer the prisoners who protest against their policies to this prison notorious for its inhumane living conditions.


He said that the administration of this prison deals aggressively with prisoners and lately escalated its policy of mass punishment against them especially after the appointment of a former army General, infamous for his extreme hatred for Palestinians, as the new manager.


Ashqar appealed to all international organizations concerned with the issue of prisoners and the Red Cross to visit the Raymond prison to see closely the suffering of Palestinian prisoners inside this jail and to put an end to the violations practiced against them.