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Jerusalem:
10 August, 1998
Death
of Prisoner No. 20 Held in Palestinian Custody
Prisoner
Walid Mahmoud al-Qawasmi (age 45), father of 8 children, and
manager of an insurance office in Bethlehem, died yesterday
in the custody of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Al-Qawasmi
was arrested by the General Intelligence (GI) in Hebron on
25 July, 1998. Three days later, he was taken to the GI
detention area in Jericho.
Two
weeks after his arrest on 7 August, 1998, al-Qawasmi's
family finally managed to visit him. His health was
deteriorating and he had difficulty speaking. When asked
about the charges pressed against him, he answered: "I am
innocent." The charges against him were never made public.
Yesterday morning, 9 August, 1998, al-Qawasmi was taken to
Jericho Hospital, suffering from a body temperature of 41
degrees Celsius. The hospital decided to transfer him to
Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. However, al-Qawasmi died before
reaching Rafidia.
Eye
witnesses who took part in the autopsy told the
Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG)
that al-Qawasmi died from a hemorrhaging of the brain
caused by a fracture in his scull. The fracture was caused
by severe beating to the head. Additionally al-Qawasmi's
family told the PHRMG that signs of torture were
evident on the body of the deceased when it was washed.
The
district prosecutor in Jericho announced he would form a
committee to investigate the matter. When asked about al-Qawasmi's
death, the GI stated that it was due to severe heat. The GI
has, however, made no official statement regarding the
death.
The
PHRMG condemns this gross human rights violation
which led to the death of yet another prisoner in
Palestinian custody. The PHRMG calls upon PA
President Yasser Arafat to put an end to the widespread use
of torture by the various security services of the PA in
Palestinian prisons. The PHRMG also demands that a
neutral committee be formed to investigate the death, to
expose the violent practices of the security forces and to
facilitate the severe punishment of those responsible for
al-Qawasmi's death.
For
more information, contact the PHRMG office at the
numbers below. Also see the PHRMG report released
December 1997 entitled: "Deaths in Detention: A Pattern
of Abuse, Illegality and Impunity."
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