Close Down Al-Khiam Military Prison and Release All Lebanese Detainees __________________

Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association calls on all to participate in the International Campaign to Close Al-Khiam Military Prison. On Thursday 28 October 1999, individuals, groups, human rights institutions and activists from around the world will mark the beginning of the campaign which aims to pressure the Israeli Authorities and the South Lebanese Army (SLA) to close down Al-Khiam prison and to immediately release all Lebanese prisoners.

Al-Khiam Detention Center was opened in 1985 soon after the closure of Al-Ansar prison. The prison is located on a small hill overlooking Al-Khiam village in south Lebanon, within the area known as the "security zone" under Israeli occupation. The existing prison was originally built by the French Occupation forces in the 1930s. The prison was expanded to include new sections and units for use by the Israeli authorities and their SLA allies in order to interrogate, torture and place under solitary confinement Lebanese citizens held hostage for many years.

Addameer calls for the immediate closure of the prison and unconditional release of all Lebanese prisoners and hostages as their continued detention is a crime and is in violation of international laws and agreements and grossly violates these detainees basic human rights. In addition, Addameer wishes to draw attention to the following points:

• There is an absence of international responsibility in this region as Israel claims that it does not have control over Al- Khiam prison because it is regulated by the SLA - Israel's allies, funded and controlled by the Israeli authorities themselves. There is clear evidence that the Israeli military and interrogators are controlling the prison, a fact which places direct responsibility for what occurs within the prison on the Israeli Authorities. The lack of clarity in who is responsible for the prison offers the opportunity for dangerous and irresponsible activities to take place within the prison walls without anyone being held accountable. This is clearly seen simply in the number of prisoners killed - 14 martyrs - who died under mysterious circumstances, some as a result of torture and other because of the lack of adequate treatment and medical care for illness.

• There is a clear absence of legal procedures, as it is unclear under which jurisdiction detainees are held. The detention of individuals in Al-Khiam occurs without charge, trial or due process.

Al-Khiam prison is clearly being used for holding detainees hostage, as Israel has stated on more than one occasion that the release of these detainees is conditional upon either the supplying of information to the Israeli Authorities or the release of Israelis or SLA militia members missing in action. Thus these detainees are hostages and used to pressure and blackmail the other side of the struggle ? The Lebanese Resistance Movement.

• The detainees are absolutely isolated from the rest of the world. No lawyers are allowed in; there is no consideration for any legal procedures. Medical personnel or human rights activists are never allowed in. There is no observation or regulation in the health or living conditions within the prison and detainees are never allowed to meet with anyone; even relatives are denied visits. The International Committee of the Red Cross has managed to visit the prison once after 10 years of its opening and, only recently, a small number of relatives were permitted to visit once every three months.

This type of confinement is of grave concern to both relatives of the detainees and human rights organisations concerned with the well being of the detainees. It re-inforces the uncertainty of what occurs within the prison walls.

Al-Khiam prison is located within the occupied Lebanese territories where Israel, according to international laws, is not allowed to have jurisdiction.

The absence of even the minimum requirements of human living conditions for detainees is of great concern. The different sections of the prison are nothing more than isolated cells and interrogation rooms maintained under extremely poor living and health conditions, which has caused the quick spread of disease. One example of this is the case of detainee Sulaiman Ramadan, whose leg was amputated because of medical neglect.

Addameer calls on all individuals, institutions, international organisations, groups and governments concerned about human rights to combine their efforts of work and activity to close down Al-Khiam prison and to immediately release the detained hostages unconditionally.

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"ADDAMEER" Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association: Jerusalem, P.O.Box 17338.
Ramallah, Al-Irsal St., Al-Isra' Bldg., 7th floor, Tel: +972-2-2960446, Fax: +972-2-2960447.
e-mail: addameer@planet.edu