HEBRON, July 19, 2011 (WAFA) - An ailing Palestinian prisoner who started an open hunger strike 37 days ago, in protest against Israeli medical negligence and bad prison conditions, was transferred Tuesday to Ramla prison hospital due to severe deterioration in his health condition, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club (PPC).
Atef Wraidat, 45, was arrested in 1982 at 16 years of age and imprisoned for 11 years. He was released in 1993, in bad health due to heart disease and medical negligence in prison. He was arrested again in 2002 and sentenced to another 11 years, of which he has served 10.
He suffers from various illnesses including diabetes, hypertension and heart problems. His health worsened in Asqalan prison south of Israel, where he is kept, and he has been in need of open heart surgery for over a year.
Head of PPC Qaddura Fares held the Israeli prison administration responsible for Wraidat’s life after it isolated him in solitary confinement despite his health condition, to force him to end his hunger strike. The administration also imposed sanctions on him, which included a 4-month ban on family visits, a 2-year ban from pursuing education in prison, a 1-month ban from using canteen services and a fine of $500.
A PPC lawyer reported that Wraidat has lost 20 kilograms of weight, is unable to digest anything and is vomiting blood. He is delusional, dizzy and incapable of standing or sitting on his own. The lawyer said that Wraidat was brought to the prison’s visiting hall with his hand and legs cuffed, and was transferred to hospital in the same way.
R.Q./F.J.
