Palestinian Prisoner al-Issawi stops drinking water

Prisoner Samer al-Issawi, who has been on hunger strike since the first of August 2012, has stopped drinking water and other liquid since Monday afternoon.

Lawyer Jawad Boulos, director of the Legal Unit in the Palestinian Prisoners Society said that Issawi has escalated his steps in protest at having to wear ankle restraints and being shackled to his hospital bed.

He is required to keep his restraints on even when using the bathroom; Boulos said in a press statement on Tuesday, adding that keeping him tied to the bed is inhumane and undignified.

The lawyer added that there is no security reasons for these procedures that aim to humiliate the captive.

He added that Issawi told him that one of the occupation officers from the south visited him on Monday and had a long talk with him which was full of threats of how the occupation is going to teach a tough lesson if he does not end his hunger strike, which made Samer escalate his steps and stopped drinking water.

The lawyer said that when he visited Issawi’s room at Kaplan Hospital, he found seven Israeli prison officers eating food to deliberately torment Issawi.

Doctors have tried to convince Issawi to drink water and are afraid he may die at any moment as his blood pressure is very low.

Meanwhile, the occupation forces dispersed on Tuesday evening a protest, staged in solidarity with the hunger striker Samer Issawi near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.

The demonstrators raised photos of hunger striking prisoners on, and chanted slogans demanding the release of captives.

When the protesters arrived to Sultan Suleiman Street, the Israeli forces started dispersing them, without arresting any one.