“Palestine Center”: Legislating Execution of Palestinian Prisoners is Most Dangerous Stage of Aggression Inside Zionist Prisons
The Director of the Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies, Riyad Al-Ashqar, confirmed that the Israeli enemy’s endeavor to pass a law for executing Palestinian prisoners constitutes the most dangerous stage of aggression against the prisoners’ movement, reflecting the extent of international complicity and the prevailing silence regarding the crimes committed inside prisons, at a time when approximately 9500 prisoners are held in conditions he described as lethal.
Al-Ashqar said in a statement to the Palestinian “Shehab” Agency on Saturday, on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners, that the execution law cannot be separated from a comprehensive system of criminal policies pursued by the Zionist enemy in its prisons, which include systematic torture, starvation, deliberate medical neglect, and public incitement to kill prisoners, especially since October 2023, turning prisons into an environment of slow death.
He explained that the Israeli enemy has killed 87 prisoners of known identity over the past 28 months, as a result of torture, medical neglect, or starvation, emphasizing that pushing to legalize the execution of prisoners represents a dangerous shift from unannounced killing to organized killing backed by the force of law.
He considered the passage of such a law a direct result of the world remaining in the square of silence, stressing that the prisoners’ movement today needs to break this silence and mobilize broad international and popular pressure to stop the crimes and save the lives of prisoners.
Al-Ashqar called on free people around the world to actively participate in solidarity events, considering the prisoners’ issue the clearest test of the international community’s humanity, given the existence of prisoners who have spent over 40 years behind bars, and hundreds whose detention periods have exceeded 20 years under inhumane conditions.
He revealed that the Zionist enemy continues its policy of human attrition through mass arrests, with 7500 arrest cases recorded last year, most without charges, affecting children, women, patients, university students, and the elderly, aiming to keep thousands of Palestinians as political hostages.
The Director of the Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies also affirmed that the continued international silence not only encourages the enemy to proceed with execution legislations but also provides it with a cover to escalate its aggression inside prisons. He called for urgent international action to stop these racist laws and work towards the release of all Palestinian prisoners.