URGENT ACTION from Amnesty USA & more:
HEALTH FEARS FOR PALESTINIAN HUNGER STRIKER
Palestinian prisoner Akram Rikhawi’s life is in grave danger. He has been on hunger strike
since 12 April and is being held in an Israeli prison clinic which cannot provide the specialist
care he needs. He is suffering from various chronic health conditions including diabetes,
asthma, osteoporosis and high cholesterol.
Thirty-eight-year-old Akram Rikhawi, from the Gaza Strip, is held in solitary confinement in the Israel Prison Service
(IPS) clinic in Ramleh prison in Israel, apparently as punishment for his hunger strike. He is being denied regular access
to an independent doctor and requires treatment in a civilian prison with the necessary facilities to address his various
urgent medical needs. During his hunger strike he has at times only taken water, while at other times he has also taken
vitamins.
Akram Rikhawi started his hunger strike in protest at the inadequacy of his medical treatment in prison which led him to
request early release although this was denied twice. On 4 July, a doctor from local NGO, Physicians for Human RightsIsrael (PHR-I), finally visited Akram Rikhawi. PHR-I had made several requests to the IPS for him to see an independent
doctor as well as an appeal to the District Court, which on 27 June ruled that access should be given no later than 3 July.
He has had only one other visit from a PHR-I doctor which took place on 6 June.
On 4 July, PHR-I said that Akram Rikhawi’s asthma had worsened dramatically and that the “… doctor believes [he] has
been given very high doses of steroids as treatment [for asthma], which can cause severe long-term and irreversible
damage.” The doctor also reiterated a recommendation made following the June visit that he should be examined by a
lung specialist. The doctor also said that his right eye needs to be examined to assess whether he needs surgery for a
possible cataract; he has already had surgery for a cataract on his left eye. Akram Rikhawi complained of extreme
dizziness, numbness in his left thigh which PHR-I report could indicate peripheral nerve damage. He has difficulty walking
and standing but is apparently not being assisted to move around.
On 24 June Akram Rikhawi was taken to Assaf Harofeh Hospital, a public hospital in Israel, where he spent two days
shackled to the bed – a form of ill-treatment - until he was transferred back to prison.
Please write immediately in Hebrew or your own language:
Expressing grave concern for Akram Rikhawi’s health, urging the authorities to take immediate steps to ensure he
has access to adequate medical care including the further examinations he requires in civilian hospitals with
specialized facilities, and access to an independent doctor of his choice;
Urging them to take all necessary measures to ensure that he is treated humanely at all times and not punished in
any way for his hunger strike including by being held in solitary confinement and shackled.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 27 AUGUST 2012 TO:
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Defence
Ehud Barak, Ministry of Defence
37 Kaplan Street, Hakirya
Tel Aviv 61909, ISRAEL
Salutation: Dear Minister
Israel Prison Service Commissioner
Lieutenant-General Aharon Franco
Israel Prison Service, PO Box 81
Ramleh 72100, ISRAEL
Also send :
And copies to:
Military Advocate General
Brigadier General Danny Efroni
6 David Elazar Street
Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel
Fax: +972 3 569 4526
Email: avimn@idf.gov.il Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country.
Ambassade de l’Etat d’Israël
Avenue de l’Observatoire 40
1180 Bruxelles
eMail: info@brussels.mfa.gov.il
Fax 02.373.56.17 Ambassador Michael B. Oren, Embassy of Israel, 3514 International Dr. NW, Washington DC 20008
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
Have also added @GWR [Guinness World Records] to my tweets asking 'Is this a record?'
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