‘Freeing political prisoners a critical Palestinian demand’

The Sting of the Scorpion…Egypt’s Darkest Corner was the forerunner to Guantanamo

by Carlos Latuff

by Yvonne Ridley, source

“Welcome to Tora Land”, declared the headline on a magazine rack which caught my eye as I was swept along during the rush hour inside Cairo’s chaotic railway station. The boldness of the declaration on the glossy front page confirms two things.

The first is that the people of Egypt have a great sense of humour; the second is that the Peoples’ Revolution continues to have a seismic impact on the country’s political landscape, for Tora is the name of a notorious prison complex on the outskirts of Cairo. Since most members of the former government – including Hosni Mubarak’s two sons – are now in residence there you can begin to understand the tongue-in-cheek headline.

Every day in Egypt sees new arrests and criminal charges among the corrupt elite; no one, it seems, is now immune from the Egyptian prosecutors. For many, this has turned into a revolving door revolution, with those once in prison for daring to stand up to Mubarak and his iron rule now on the outside while their tormentors and oppressors take their places behind bars.

It is indeed poetic justice, but sadly not for all; it seems there are some prisoners buried so deep inside the brutal “justice” system that they’ve been all but forgotten. As the Egyptian Revolution hurtles breathlessly towards its 100th day there is still a group of prisoners who appear to have been overlooked in the excitement of the Arab Spring.

The forgotten few are the 100+ inmates of Al’aqrab Prison; the word means “the scorpion” in Arabic. It’s an apt name for a prison buried away in the same desert sands that once concealed the treasures of Tutankhamun. Now they hide even more secrets, masking the depth of wickedness and depravity practised by Egypt’s Last Pharaoh, Hosni Mubarak.

The Scorpion Prison is a hellish institution that former prisoners told me was the blueprint for America’s Guantanamo, the world’s most notorious jail. It is reasonable to say that this is Egypt’s very own Guantanamo.

The maximum security jail is two kilometres from the main entrance to the official Tora cluster of prisons where former government ministers now reside in comparative comfort. Some of the monsters who served Mubarak and are now behind bars will even have authorised the torture endured by the Scorpion inmates whose daily routine is quite different to those such as Mubarak’s sons.

Many of the detainees have been held for years without trial or charge – very like thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails – simply for being critical of Mubarak’s regime in speeches or articles. Others were convicted of trying to overthrow Israel’s good friend Mubarak; the irony is that they did far less than those who rallied bravely in Tahrir Square just weeks ago.

But while the revolutionaries are rewarded for their heroism with hard won freedoms and liberties, the Scorpion 100 continue to languish behind its high walls, fearing that they have been completely forgotten. Their voices remain unheard in the forbidding complex hidden behind an imposing seven-metre high wall that is protected by heavily fortified, armour-plated gates.

According to the Muslim Brotherhood website, Al’aqrab was the brainchild of a group of officers who spent five years training in the US with the FBI. On their return to Egypt, The Scorpion and its H blocks were built; they opened on 30 May 1993.

Prison staff have the power to cut off water, light and electricity, and close individual windows at the flick of a switch, as punishment. Twenty cells are used purely for solitary confinement. It seems that the ‘American inspiration’ behind Scorpion was so succesful that it was replicated in the spring of 2002 at the US military base of Guantanamo Bay in Occupied Cuba.

As I relayed the description of The Scorpion to Moazzam Begg, Director of the London-based NGO Cageprisoners, he winced. The layout was, indeed, very familiar to the former ex-Guantanamo detainee who spent three years in America’s Scorpion.

Mubarak’s Ministry of the Interior moved detainees from Liman, Istekbal Tora and Abu Zaabal to the new super-max jail and it is thought that at one point around 20,000 supposed “enemies of the state” were being held there without trial or charge. Moreover, while we know about The Scorpion’s inmates, there could be other political prisoners held elsewhere within Egypt’s prison system; at this stage, we simply don’t know.

Rumours abound about what has gone on behind The Scorpion’s high walls, up to today; the horror includes harrowing tales of torture, abuse and years of solitary confinement without sunlight.

While all of the Muslim Brotherhood’s political prisoners have now been released across Egypt, the agony continues for the inmates of The Scorpion Prison that is well hidden from the desert highway about 20 kilometres from the Egyptian capital. Most belong to the now defunct group Talae al-Fatah, Jihad, al-Gama’h Al Islamia and other Islamic groups and although the majority signed so-called “adoption of repentance papers” years ago they are still being held with little or no prospect of a trial. Some have gone years without family visits; they’ve been whipped, flogged and subjected to electric shocks, as well as collective punishment. All of this defines the “Scorpion Experience”. Of the 20,000 or so who passed through its gates around 15 per cent are believed to have died.

Mubarak’s secretive and sinister Ministry of the Interior succeeded in hiding these men from the outside world, but even with today’s freedom it seems that justice is as elusive as ever. We need to press for their release, and soon, so that they will be able to enjoy the Arab Spring and celebrate the 100th day of the Egyptian Peoples’ Revolution. If justice is going to be one of the cornerstones of the new regime’s policies, then the sooner the Scorpion 100 are set free, or at least put on trial with full due process, the better.

*British journalist Yvonne Ridley is the European President of the International Muslim Women’s Union and is a patron of Cageprisoners.

It’s time to end the anonymity of Palestinian political prisoners

MEMO

Nelson Mandela and Aung Suu Kyi are known worldwide as prisoners of conscience who have spent lengthy periods in prison for standing up for their beliefs. South African political prisoner and later President Mandela spent 27 years in prison, many of them in solitary confinement; Aung San Suu Kyi, a political prisoner in Burma, spent almost 15 years under house arrest. Their time imprisoned was well publicised over the years and an international movement of supporters campaigned endlessly for their release.

In stark contrast, there is near silence from the international community on the 133 Palestinian political prisoners who have been held in Israeli jails for two decades or more. They have endured unjust trials and harsh prison conditions; they receive inadequate medical and psychological care, and many are in solitary confinement. Most of these prisoners were detained as young boys and young men and have reached their late 30s and 40s having spent their entire adult life in prison, with little or no contact with their loved ones and the outside world.

The Middle East Monitor will be profiling 25 of these Palestinian prisoners over the coming weeks, bringing an end to their anonymity and highlighting the injustices that these men and their families face at the hands of the state of Israel.

Wael Salih al Barghuthi – Imprisoned 4-4-1978 – View Profile
Fakhri Asfour al Barghuthi - Imprisoned 23-6-1978
Akram Mansour - Imprisoned 2-8-1979
Fuad Qasim al Razim - Imprisoned 30-1-1981
Ibrahim Jabir - Imprisoned 8-1-1982
Hasan Salameh - Imprisoned 8-8-1982
Uthman Musleh - Imprisoned 15-10-1982
Sami Yunus - Imprisoned 1983
Karim Yunus - Imprisoned 1983
Maher Yunus - Imprisoned 1983
Saleem Ali al Kayal - Imprisoned 30-5-1983
Hafiz Qundus - Imprisoned 15-5-1984
Eesa Abdu Rabbu - Imprisoned 20-10-1984
Ahmad Fareed Shahadeh - Imprisoned 16-2-1985
Muhammad Nasr - Imprisoned 11-5-1985
Rafe’ Karajeh - Imprisoned 20-5-1985
Talal Abu al Kabash - Imprisoned 23-6-1985
Mustafa Ghunaymat - Imprisoned 27-6-1985
Ziyad Ghunaymat - Imprisoned 27-6-1985
Uthman Abdullah Bani Husayn - Imprisoned 27-7-1985
Haza’ Muhammad Haza’ Sa’adi - Imprisoned 28-7-1985
Siddqui Sulayman Ahmad al Maqt - Imprisoned 23-8-1985
Hani Badawi Muhammad Jaabir - Imprisoned 3-9-1985
Muhammad Ahmad Abdul Hameed al Tous - Imprisoned 6-10-1985
Nafiz Ahmad Talib Harz - Imprisoned 25-11-1985
Fa’iz Mutawi’ al Khour - Imprisoned 29-11-1985
Ghazi Jumu’ah al Nams - Imprisoned 30-11-1985
Muhammad Misbah Ashour - Imprisoned 18-2-1986
Ahmad Abdur Rahman Abu Hasireh - Imprisoned 18-2-1986
Muhammad Abdul Hadi al Hassani - Imprisoned 4-3-1986

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Week 1: Nael Al-Barghouthi – Dean of the Palestinian prisoners

MEMO

Born on 23 October 1957, Nael Al Barghouthi has spent 33 years in prison. He was arrested on 4 April 1978 after carrying out a commando operation in which one Israeli was killed. Al Barghouthi was subjected to extreme torture and has survived at least one attempt on his life during interrogation.

Throughout his long years of incarceration, he has faced his interrogators and jailers with incredible strength and determination, as they moved him from one prison to another.

Inside the prison, he has been a source of inspiration, knowledge and training. He has raised generations of prisoners, some have left and others are still behind bars.

Nael Al Barghouthi likes to be called “Abu An Nur” (the father of light). He has witnessed a number of prisoner exchange deals; but on every occasion he has been exempted because his Israeli jailers regard him as a high security risk.

Nael Al Barghouthi’s years of imprisonment impacted considerably on his family. Often denied visits, they heard of his illness from secondary sources. For years his mother conducted a vigil in front of the offices of human rights organizations, which were unable to assist. Nael’s father, Hajj Saleh, passed away aged 88; he was followed shortly thereafter by his mother, Hajja Farha. His dream of freedom and the ability to embrace his parents has now been reduced to a desire to visit their graves and pray for them. He now hides his sadness over their loss with stoic resolve.

Nael is not the only member of his family to serve over two decades in Israeli jails. His brother, Omar Barghouti – Abu Asif – spent more than 23 years moving between prisons. His colleague, Abu Shadi – Fakhri Barghouthi – is the second longest serving Palestinian prisoner in the occupation’s prisons.

Today, Nael Al Barghouti is one of the main Palestinian figures within the Israeli prison system. He is a symbol of national unity and is consulted by all factions. Though exempt from certain services, he spends much of his time serving his fellow prisoners; preparing meals, cleaning and teaching them Hebrew. His hope is to contribute to the training of a special generation of prisoners who would, one day, become leaders of the Palestinian national struggle.

Nine Islamic MPs released after prolonged captivity in Zionist Jails

Palestinian MPs and Cabinet members STILL in Israeli jails after illegal abduction UPDATE!!! from PTT

by Khalid Amayreh in the West Bank, source

September 2, 2009

The Israeli apartheid regime on Wednesday freed nine Islamic-oriented members of the Legislative Council who have suffered a long captivity in Israeli jails and detention camps.

The released political prisoners include Khaled Suleiman, Khaled Yahya, and Ibrahim Dahbour from Jenin; Riyadh Raddad from Tulkarm; Imad Nofal from Qalqilya; Nasser Abdul Jawwad from Salfit; Yasser Mansour and Hasan al Burini from Nablus; and Muhammed Abu Juheisha from al-Khalil (Hebron).

The released detainees arrived at the Dahiriya crossing, west of Hebron amid a cordial reception by friends, relatives and colleagues as well as ordinary people.

The Hebron region is considered a key stronghold of Hamas in the West Bank.

They released detainees will travel to their respective places of residence following the Iftar sunset meal marking the end of the day’s Ramadan fasting.

With the release of these hostages, the number of pro-Hamas legislative council members still languishing in Israeli jails is now reduced to 23, including 7 facing so-called “administrative detention.” The remaining 16 MPs are spending stiff prison sentences passed by Israeli military courts.

Human rights organizations describe these courts as mere “rubber stamps” in the hands of the ill-reputed Shin Beth domestic intelligence service which don’t meet the most elementary standards of justice.

In 2006, the Israeli occupation army carried out a mass arrest of nearly all Islamic MPs in retaliation for the capture by Hamas military wing of an Israeli occupation soldier during a military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Israel had hoped that the cruel abduction of the councilors would cripple Hamas and force the Islamic liberation movement to release the captured soldier, named Gilaad Shalit.

However, Hamas didn’t cave in to Israeli bullying, insisting that Israel would have to release hundreds of Palestinian political and resistance prisoners in return for Shalit’s freedom.

The illegal and manifestly unethical incarceration by the Israeli apartheid regime of more than 50 Islamic members of the Legislative Council has been taken advantage of by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.

The PA enacted a number of laws and established a government of its own in Ramallah without the approval of the Legislative Council, thus exacerbating the national rift between Fatah and Hamas.

Hamas repeatedly sought to activate the Legislative Council by proposing a system of authorized representation to circumvent the crises created by the mass arrest of the pro-Hamas councilors.

However, Fatah vehemently rejected the idea.

The release of the nine Islamic MPs on Wednesday might revive hopes for a possible reactivation of the Legislative Council.

However, Mahmoud al Ramahi, a pro-Hamas MP has downplayed prospects in this regard, saying that the problem facing the Legislative Council is first and foremost political not legal in nature.

The released detainees spent an average of three years in Israeli prisons and detention camps, especially the notorious desert concentration camp known as Kitziot.

No specific charges were filed against the captives apparently for lack of indicting evidence.

This eventually forced the Israeli military justice system to concoct vague charges such as “supporting a militant organization” and “taking part in elections under the rubric of a political party unrecognized by Israel.”

Both Israel and the Bush administration had okayed the 2006-elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, hoping that Fatah would win.

However, when Hamas won a resounding victory, harvesting 77 seats of the 132 seats making up the Legislative Council, both Israel and the US government lost their temper and decided to impose draconian punitive sanctions on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The harsh and cruel measures, including a Nazi-like blockade on the Gaza Strip, pushed the 1.5 million inhabitants of the coastal territory to the brink of starvation and economic disaster.

The manifestly cruel blockade, which resembled in many respects Nazi measures against Jews at Ghetto Warsaw, also exposed the scandalous double-standards of western attitudes toward democracy.

Several other Islamic MPs released from Zionist jails recently have been rearrested in order to exert more pressure on Hamas to release the Israeli soldier Shalit.

The rearrested MPS including Khaled Tafesh from Bethlehem and Azzam Salhab, Nezar Ramadan and Hatem Qafeesha from al Khalil.

Has the nakba ended?

When you come to see so many injustices happen while the hypocrites of the world preach to you about human rights, freedom and justice you become disillusioned. It doesn’t necessarily mean you give up but you feel sad and disgusted at the conditions of humanity. A quick study of history shows that even though we may have advanced in science, technology, well not so much with economy at the moment, etc. humans still haven’t advanced in terms of acts of humanity and their rights. We have all these laws that are simply words on paper, abused by politicians and countries to accuse others of violating them who in turn violate the laws themselves. There are many cases at the moment we can see Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Somalia, Sri Lanka, etc. My knowledge mostly centers on the surrounding region, mainly Palestine. This doesn’t mean the suffering of one people is more than another or this issue is more essential than others, all human suffering is unacceptable.

The Palestinians don’t need a day to remember the nakba, they live it day in day out whether they are in Palestine or in diaspora. The ones in Palestine especially live it when they go to work or school or on their way there with all the humiliation checkpoints and the apartheid wall. They live with it through the danger of being attacked by settlers on the streets and on their fields. They live with it when their houses or places of worship are singled out for demolition.

60,000 Palestinians at Risk in Jerusalem, UN Warns
By David Cronin

JERUSALEM, May 1 (IPS) – A report published Friday by a United Nations agency has warned that the problems facing the people of Silwan, who are facing eviction from their homes, are replicated throughout East Jerusalem.

At least 60,000 out of the estimated 225,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem are at risk of having their homes obliterated because they have been deemed illegal by Israeli officialdom, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated.

Some 90 Palestinian buildings were demolished in 2008 alone, uprooting about 400 people.

All this destruction is being wrought as part of a systematic policy of ensuring that the entire city of Jerusalem falls into Israeli hands, even though a raft of UN resolutions have insisted there is no legal validity to building settlements in East Jerusalem. To date one-third of East Jerusalem has been expropriated by Israel and almost 200,000 settlers housed.

Israeli municipality issues demolition order on renovated housing in Old City monastery
30 / 04 / 2009

Jerusalem – Ma’an– Orders have been made to demolish a two-floor addition to a monastery and church in the Old City of Jerusalem, Aide for Jerusalem affairs Hatem Abdul Qader reported on Wednesday.

They live with it when they don’t have enough water while others steal it and squander it. They live with it by being reminded of the 11,000 Palestinian loved ones in prison.

Visiting Daddy in Prison: A Palestinian Ordeal

By TIM MCGIRK / CHATTAH-GILBOA Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2009, Time

Spending time with her dad requires that 6-year-old Jinan undertake a bizarre and arduous odyssey. Usually she travels alone, but last Monday, the Palestinian girl with the rosebud smile and bouncing energy was accompanied by her younger sisters Dania, 4, and Noor, 2, on the journey to the Israeli prison that holds her father…

Salam cannot accompany her daughters because she is on an Israeli security watch list, although she has never learned why she’s on it. Her immediate family lives in Jordan, so she must put the girls on a bus bound for Chattah-Gilboa prison inside Israel and hope that one of the many Palestinian women on board will help Jinan wrangle her sisters. “I’m so worried about having them go without me,” says Salam, as she hoists her girls onto the bus, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “But what can I do? This is their only chance to see their father.”

When the Palestinians try to fight back at least just for their survival other than returning their rights they are met not with opposition or condemnation but with war, starvation, oppression, etc. Anyone else who tries to help them is attacked and demonized.

What makes it even more horrid is that you don’t only have to fight an invading force but your own that support the invader and occupier. See letter of Mubarak to Israelis on the remembrance of the nakba, he congratulated them (aljazeera, ynet).

It is true history repeats itself but not only the bad (invasions and colonization) but also the good (liberation and justice).