Statement issued by the Psychosocial Counseling Center for Women in commemoration of Palestinian Prisoners Day

17/04/2023

April 17th marks the Palestinian Prisoners Day, an occasion that underscores the plight endured by the Palestinian people, characterized by acts of ethnic cleansing, genocide, and forced displacement. These atrocities represent an unprecedented level of brutality, violating fundamental human rights enshrined in international law, humanitarian law, and various international conventions pertaining to human rights.

Since October seventh until April sixteenth, 2024, more than 8270 prisoners have been detained, excluding those from Gaza who were forcibly detained and held in a secret prison in the Negev Desert.

Among these prisoners are 273 women, which does not  include forcibly disappeared women from Gaza, and 250 children, along with over 5168 administrative detainees, including 22 women and 40 children. All of them face the slow death penalty due to the crimes committed against them by the occupation forces within the prisons, which escalate to the level of war crimes. These crimes include continuous torture, beatings, rape, starvation, and humiliation, resulting in the martyrdom of 16 prisoners so far.

Since the ground invasion of Gaza, thousands of our Palestinian people, including women, children, elderly, and sick individuals, have been arrested by the Israeli army, with no information available about their places of detention and conditions. According to reports, 27 prisoners from Gaza have been executed.

We, at PSCCW, raise our voices loudly to say ‘enough silence’ and ‘enough impunity for the crimes of the occupation’ in Palestine, which is turning into a graveyard for Palestinians. It’s also a graveyard for all the principles of human rights spoken of by the supposedly civilized world.

We call on all human rights organizations to investigate the occupation’s crimes against prisoners, to hold the Netanyahu and Ben Gvir fascist government accountable, and to bring them to international justice as war criminals and perpetrators of crimes against humanity.

We call on all human rights defenders to come to Palestine and listen to the testimonies of prisoners.

Let us raise our voices demanding the release of all women prisoners, particularly calling for the disclosure of the women from Gaza who have been subjected to enforced disappearance. We demand the release of hundreds of children.

Let us raise our voices loudly to halt the aggression on Gaza and recognize the right of the Palestinian people to be free from colonization.