Prisoners Center demands urgent investigation into death of administrative detainee in Ofer

The Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners demanded an urgent investigation into the circumstances of the death of administrative detainee Moataz Nizam al-Atrash (21 years old) inside Ofer Prison, after about 11 months of his detention without charge or trial. The Center said in a statement that al-Atrash entered the occupation prisons as a young man of 20, before dying inside them at the age of 21, stressing that his death at this age requires revealing the conditions of his detention and what he was subjected to during his detention period. The Center held the occupation forces and prison administration responsible for al-Atrash's death, demanding full disclosure of the circumstances of his death, his medical file, and his detention conditions, along with holding accountable those responsible for any violations he may have suffered. It explained that al-Atrash spent about 11 months in administrative detention, based on the so-called "secret file", without charge or trial, considering that the continuation of this type of detention deprives detainees of knowing the charges against them or defending themselves in court. The Center pointed out that al-Atrash's death sheds light again on the conditions of Palestinian prisoners inside occupation prisons, amid what it described as harsh detention conditions and ongoing complaints of violations against detainees. It called on international institutions to open the prisons to independent oversight and to investigate the circumstances of al-Atrash's death.