WOMAN PRISONER IN CENTRAL PRISON IN NABLUS

DENIED CRITICAL MEDICAL CARE

22 September 1996

Rima Issa Eid, 24 years old and a prisoner of the Central Prison of Nablus, has been denied critically needed medical care for bureaucratic reasons. Ms. Eid suffers from breast cancer and a hemorrhaging stomach and large intestine, two conditions which the hospitals in Nablus cannot treat. All doctors involved in the case agree that she must be moved to the hospital in Ramallah, a move which has not yet taken place because the Ramallah prison lacks women staff to handle the move.

Ms. Eid was arrested on 26 August 1996, and was interrogated for a period of 5 days. According to her affidavit submitted to fieldworkers for LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, she was beaten in the abdomen and chest by her interrogators. Three separate times she was taken to the Nablus hospital after losing consciousness.

On 31 August Ms. Eid was sentenced without legal representation by the magisterial court to a prison sentence of three years on criminal charges. Shortly after, she began complaining of chest and abdominal pain. She was referred to the National Hospital in Nablus, which determined that a previously treated condition of breast cancer had recurred, and that she was also suffering from stomach and large intestine hemorrhage. This hospital, as well as the Rafidiyyeh Hospital in Nablus and the prison doctor, all insist that she must be transferred to the Ramallah hospital, as this hospital is the only facility capable of treating her medical conditions. This move has not yet taken place, although Ms. Eid is in extreme pain and her condition is life-threatening.

Field workers for LAWE have visited Ms. Eid, and report her condition to appear critical. Despite requests for her transferal, she remains in the Central Nablus Prison. LAWE urgently requests that faxes requesting her immediate transfer to Ramallah hospital be sent to President Yassir Arafat (972) (7) 822366/5, Justice Minister Freih Abu Medein (972) (7) 822236, and Commander of National Security Hajj Isma'in Jaber (972) (2) 9921248/9955020.

LAWE - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to preserving human rights through legal advocacy. LAWE is also an affiliate member of the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights.