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Under Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):
"All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person."
In or out of prison, Palestinians are denied all rights. The Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners explicitly states isolation for punishment should be infrequent and of limited duration. Under Article 31:
"Corporal punishment, punishment by placing in a dark cell, and all cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments shall be completely prohibited as punishments for disciplinary offences."
The Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners encourage the restriction or abolition of isolation as punishment.
When imposed, strict rules govern treatment Israel spurns with impunity. Whether isolated or part of the general prison population, Palestinians are treated horrifically.
Denied virtually all rights, they use the only one remaining. Refusing food is their weapon of choice. Growing numbers employ it. On April 17, over 1,200 Palestinian prisoners began hunger striking for justice.
On April 24, the International Middle East Media Center estimated around 3,000 "as (growing) waves of detainees" demand international law guaranteed rights.
Many call it "the battle of empty bowels." They demand better conditions and treatment. They include ending torture, ill-treatment, administrative detention, isolation, night raids, humiliating/invasive searches, and other forms of abuses.
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