Podcast Ep 11: Israeli jailers break Palestinian’s ribs

On Episode 11 of The Electronic Intifada Podcast, we speak with Lana Ramadan of the Palestinian prisoners rights group Addameer.

Ramadan talks about the recent raid by Israeli soldiers on the Addameer headquarters in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and the September arrest, interrogation and torture of Samer Arbeed.

Arbeed was hospitalized with serious injuries, including 11 broken ribs and kidney failure, following interrogation by Israel’s domestic spy agency, the Shin Bet. Israeli prison authorities have continued to question him even while he recovers in an intensive care unit.

Israel has issued a gag order preventing publications and human rights groups from reporting on the situation facing a number of prisoners.

“The people who are [being interrogated] are mainly university students or new graduates, some are union workers – Samer works in the farmers’ union,” Ramadan says.

“We were able to visit some of those prisoners. Definitely torture is happening, not only to Samer, but we’re not able yet to publish the details of it,” she adds, due to Israel’s gag order.

The gag order, issued in September, has been renewed twice since then.

“They don’t make any distinction between female, male, young, old, sick or not, and the techniques [of torture]. They are all implemented in the same manner,” she explains.