From: Hank Roth <odin@world.std.com>
Subject: Israel: Massarwa's Struggle
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: ?
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 07:41:13 GMT

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{Excerpt from: The Other Israel, no.50/Jan.Feb-92} 
 
MASSARWA'S ONGOING STRUGGLE
 
Trade-unionist and political activist Mahmoud Massarwa, a 
Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, has been in prison since 
June 1988*. A ten-year sentence was imposed upon him for 
espionage, after the court rejected his plea that a confession 
had been extracted from him by force. There was much 
international attention for this case of a man apparently 
victimised for his political ideas. Moreover, Massarwa's alleged 
act of espionage consisted of an attempt to send to a British 
newspaper a classified document regarding the Israeli police 
involvement in the killing of Palestinian prisoners. 
 
>From the start the prison authorities severely curtailed his 
rights as a prisoner. In May 1991, Massarwa lodged an appeal 
regarding his prison conditions. The court postponed hearings on 
his request to have the right to home leave, and phone calls -
rights granted to other prisoners. The judge did order the prison 
authorities to stop interfering with Massarwa's right to receive 
books and to send and receive letters. However, this order was 
not implemented in practice, and the prison authorities continue 
to prevent visitors from giving him books, cloths etc. 
 
In June 1991, Massarwa was moved to Ashmoret Prison. There, he is 
kept locked up for 22 hours a day, with a Russian cellmate who 
speaks no Hebrew. When allowed out, Massarwa is forbidden to 
speak to other prisoners, and they are forbidden to speak to him. 
Massarwa protested by wearing a gag when on his daily exercise 
hour. The prison authorities responded by placing him in solitary 
confinement for a week, the first two days without a mattress. 
 
After many delays, the case of the home leave and phone calls 
came back to the Tel-Aviv District Court on January 8, 1992. 
Judge Ben Shlomo rejected the appeal. Giving these rights to 
Massarwa, so the state claimed, would constitute a danger to 
state security . Asked by Adv. Avigdor Feldman, Massarwa's 
attorney, the state representative stated that it would be 
dangerous to let Massarwa telephone, even if his calls would be 
monitored and taped. To substantiate these claims, secret 
evidence was produced which even Massarwa and his lawyer were not 
allowed to see. We therefore can only guess what it is about. 
Could it be that Mahmoud Massarwa's voice is of such a pitch as 
would damage the whole system of Israel's telephone network? 
 
(Subscriptions: Institutions $50; Individuals $30; 
Students/Unemployed $15. N.B.: Sample issue free, on request. 
(Checks should be made payable to the ICIPP, P.O.B. 956, Tel-Aviv 61008.) 
 
Newsletter of the Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Phone/fax: (03) 5565804 Editor: Adam Keller Assistant editor: 
Beate Zilversmidt Editorial Board: Uri Avnery, Matti Peled, 
Yaakov Arnon, Haim Bar'am, Yael Lotan, Yossi Amitay 
 
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