A report by the Israel Bar Association says that prisoners and detainees being held in Israel's jails for terror crimes claim to suffer from maltreatment.

The report cites complaints regarding poor ventilation in rooms, lack of proper lighting, and of suffering inflicted upon them during their transportation from one prison to another. The prisoners complain that men from the Prison Service's Nachshon unit humiliate them and use dogs to hurt their pride.

In addition, they would prefer not to have to wear handcuffs and leg cuffs while being transported, claiming that this is an affront to their human dignity.

'A Record Number of Deaths'

The prisoners complain that men from the Prison Service's Nachshon unit humiliate them and use dogs to hurt their pride.



The Bar Association representatives visited Hadarim jail where most of the "heavy leaders" of Hamas and Fatah are held. The secure wing holds 120 prisoners defined as having "blood on their hands." Their spokesman is Hamas killer Rafik Abu-Naeem who was appointed by the former spokesman, Samir Kuntar, upon his recent release to Lebanon.

The Israeli attorneys say lawyers visiting the prisoners have to wait a long time before seeing them and that the visits are conducted in unreasonable conditions. In addition, the convicted terrorists complain that a record number of prisoners died in jail in the past two years because of poor medical treatment. The terrorists complain that strict security regulations cause medical treatment to take a long time and that during emergency situations they have to wait two to three hours before a medic comes to see a security prisoner.

The medical staff treating the prisoners has not grown in recent years, they claim, while the terrorist population in the jail has grown considerably.