Bahar calls Islamic Summit to launch campaign to save Palestinian prisoners

Dr. Ahmed Bahar, First Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, called on the 12th Islamic Summit in Cairo to launch a broad diplomatic campaign to save prisoners in Israeli jails.

Bahar asked on Tuesday the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, in his capacity as head of the summit, to put the issue of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails on the summit’s agenda and to call for taking urgent steps to save their lives.

He called on the summit to internationalize the issue of prisoners by exposing the occupation crimes against them at the different international forums and to hold Israeli leaders accountable as war criminals in the international tribunals, in order to oblige the occupation to release the captives and respect the international conventions that protect their rights.

The MP held the occupation fully responsible for the lives and safety of Palestinian prisoners in its jails, stressing that they are living in harsh conditions, and are subjected to the most brutal forms of physical and psychological torture.

Dr. Bahar called on all the forces, political parties, associations, scholars and civil society organizations in the different Arab and Islamic countries to launch organized and continuous events and protest marches in support of the Palestinian prisoners and their just rights.

More than 4600 prisoners are held in Israeli occupation jails, including 12 women, 200 children, 15 MPs and 190 administrative detainees.