Academic Paper: The Role of Detainees’ Representative in Limiting Arbitrary Action by the Occupation Prison Service Against the Detainees in Occupation Prisons (Arabic)

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Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations has published an Arabic academic paper entitled “The Role of Detainees’ Representative in Limiting Arbitrary Action by the Occupation Prison Service Against the Detainees in Occupation Prisons,” by Mu‘ammar Abu al-Sheikh.

The study aims to identify the role of the detainees’ representative in limiting the arbitrary procedures of the Prison Service towards the detainees. The researcher saw that the analytical descriptive approach was most fit for this study, while interviews were his main tool.

The study concludes that the solid will of the prisoners and their strong belief in the justice of their cause are their weapon to confront injustice. The most important reasons of their victory against the prison wardens are the unity of the captive movement; the formation of the Supreme Emergency Committee of Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs by all factions and national and Islamic forces inside the prisons; impeding the work of the Prison Service; using the means of struggle gradually when dealing with prison wardens, i.e., starting with soft steps, then tactical ones, and finally strategic and violent action. The study stresses the importance of the role of the prisoners’ representative in communicating with the Prison Service and limiting its arbitrary procedures against prisoners.

The study recommends several policies that would support the prisoners’ means of struggle, including establishing local and international advocacy campaigns; documenting violations; and forming legal committees that would present reports of the conditions of Palestinian prisoners to the concerned international bodies. It also recommends the unification of the Palestinian position and support outside and inside the prisons, at all levels, while seeing that there is a need to strengthen the role of the prisoners’ representative in a way that would help him making conditions easier on the prisoners.