Prisoner Rights Group Alleges Israeli Forces Shot Detainee Hassan Salameh
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
The Palestinian Prisoner Club reported on Tuesday that Israeli forces may have shot prisoner Hassan Salameh in his solitary confinement cell on September 15, an incident that occurred during a visit by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The group alleges a systematic campaign of torture and abuse against Palestinian prisoner leaders, with Ben-Gvir issuing public threats. The club is calling for an immediate investigation into the shooting and for international bodies to take concrete action to protect prisoners, citing Salameh's history of long sentences and solitary confinement.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Palestinian Prisoner Club reports Hassan Salameh was shot in his cell on September 15.
- The incident occurred during a visit by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
- The club alleges a systematic campaign of torture and abuse against prisoner leaders.
- Ben-Gvir has made public threats against prisoner leaders, according to the club.
- The organization calls for an investigation and international intervention for prisoner protection.
- Hassan Salameh has served 14 years in solitary confinement and received 48 life sentences.
The Israeli prison administration is escalating its targeting of Palestinian prisoner leaders held in solitary confinement, creating a constant danger to their lives, particularly in Megiddo and Ganot prisons, the Palestinian Prisoner Club announced Tuesday. The club stated that prisoner leaders face systematic physical and psychological torture, along with public threats of death from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Recent information indicates that prisoner Hassan Salameh was shot inside his cell on September 15, based on a visit conducted the previous day. The type of ammunition and details of the incident remain unclear, though it coincided with Ben-Gvir's storming of Salameh's cell. Strict visitation restrictions have prevented lawyers from obtaining further information, raising serious concerns for Salameh's fate and demanding an immediate investigation into the incident and assurance of his physical safety.
The Prisoner Club emphasized that Ben-Gvir's public threats, broadcast in videos where he boasts about torturing prisoners, are part of an integrated system of repression and abuse. This system combines threats with solitary confinement, torture, continuous harassment, and deprivation of basic rights. Targeting these leaders extends beyond individuals due to their status within the prisoner movement, as solitary confinement is used to impose harsh detention conditions, dismantle group cohesion, and subject prisoners to continuous physical and psychological exhaustion. The group warned that ongoing threats, coupled with a lack of independent oversight and accountability, significantly increase the risks to prisoners' lives, necessitating urgent intervention.
The club holds Israeli authorities fully responsible for the lives of Hassan Salameh and all other prisoners. It cautioned that continuing these policies, restricting visits, and lacking independent oversight opens the door to further violations and deprives prisoners of minimal protection. The organization called on international and human rights institutions to move beyond condemnatory statements to concrete actions ensuring prisoner protection, including pressuring for unrestricted Red Cross visits, revealing the conditions of isolated prisoners, ensuring lawyer access, and launching a serious, independent investigation into the shooting incident involving Hassan Salameh.
Hassan Salameh, born in 1971 in Khan Younis, was arrested multiple times during the First Intifada, often under administrative detention, and was injured during these periods. He was arrested in Hebron in 1996, wounded by occupation fire, and subjected to torture during a four-month interrogation. In 1997, he was sentenced to 48 life terms, making him one of the prisoners with the longest sentences, after Abdullah Barghouti and Ibrahim Hamed. Salameh spent approximately 14 years in solitary confinement in two separate periods, ending after a 2012 prisoner strike. Following the start of the war on Gaza, Israeli authorities reimposed solitary confinement on him and other prisoner leaders. He married freed prisoner Ghufran Zamel in 2010, but they have been denied visits since. His family has only been able to visit him twice during his imprisonment and was prevented from saying goodbye to his mother and other relatives who passed away.