Urgent appeal for releasing mother of two kids from Israeli jails

March 7, 2011 by occupiedpalestine 0 Comments

[ 07/03/2011 – 05:22 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)– In conjunction with the 100th celebration of international women’s day, a Palestinian mother of two kids called Iman Ghazzawi, 35, has been locked up in Israeli jails for 10 years.

Spokesman for the Palestinian ministry of prisoners’ affairs Riyadh Al-Ashqar said that Ghazzawi was kidnapped on March, 8, 2001 and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Ghazzawi is one of four Palestinian female prisoners whose husbands are also in Israeli jails, and she is married to prisoner Shaher Asha who was kidnapped five months after his wife. Their kids, Samah, 12, and Jihad, 13, are living with their maternal grandmother.

She developed respiratory problems in prison and suffers from constant pains in her head, stomach and joints as a result of the harsh incarceration conditions she is living in.

Ashqar affirmed that the Israeli prison administration still refuses to let Ghazzawi see her husband on a private visit after the prison separated them from each other for 10 years, although Israeli law allows such visit once every six months.

On the day of her usual meeting with her two little boys who visit her in prison, she is only allowed to stay with them for 40 minutes, and tears never leave her eyes when she hugs them, promises them to come home soon and hands some candies and toys through the prison window in an attempt to regain her role as a mother.

The ministry appealed to international organizations concerned with women’s issues and rights to necessarily intervene to pressure Israel to release this mother and enable her to return to her children, especially since she had spent two thirds of her unjust imprisonment term.