Besides
Mr. Karam representing the Prime Minister Dr. Hoss, the conference was
attended by the consular Fawaz Charrouf on behalf of the
Minister of Information and consular Ali Habhab on the behalf of
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Najib Freijy UN Information director
(ESCWA) as well as representatives of political parties, national forces,
Palestinian factions, humanitarian organizations, diplomatic corps,
medical body, a number of released prisoners and members of the committee
in addition to some interested persons.
Mr.
Rabah Chahrour, member of the follow- up committee attended the conference
and noted that it has a great importance since it constitutes a part of
the activities of July 14th, Day of the Lebanese prisoner
detained in Israeli occupation prisons and it includes a document
mentioning testimonies made
by prisoners (men and women ) released from Khiam detention camp, about
their torture experience.
Then,
two released prisoners, Naaman Nasrallah and Afif Hammoud made a testimony
about the torture they were subject to in Khiam Detention Camp.
In
addition, Riad Issa, member of the Committee , read the testimony of the
released martyr Kamil Daher who was dead last week due to an accident on
Khaldeh Highway.
Nasrallh
highlighted that releasing souls and minds is more important than
releasing bodies.
Psychological torture
Dr.
Jamil Bachir, secretary of the Lebanese Psychology Association tackled the
means of Psychological torture adopted in Israeli prisons such as :
Putting
the prisoner in solitary confinements. Reducing the number of meals to
one. To be noticed that this meal did not contain necessary food
substances. Making disturbing noises at night to prohibit prisoners from
sleeping . Threatening the prisoner of committing aggression against his
family members who live within the occupied territories (that threat was
sometimes applied in a very ugly way) . Refusing to present the prisoner
before specialized physicians.
In
fact, prisoners were given only painkillers which are not in conformity
with international characteristics and without referring to the laws
related to the morals of the profession of medicine nor respecting the
natural human right .
Hafez
talked about the clinic study done on the prisoners who were released and
who followed a treatment under his supervision saying that the primary
results of this study revealed some troubles as well as the following
problems:
Psychological
breakdown, neurotic phobia, which is manifested by the isolation phobia (
ie when a person feels that he is physically threatened because of his
presence in an isolated place ).
63% of
released prisoners suffer from the said cases in addition to hypochondrias
(feeling scared of sickness), pathologic scruple, isolative psychosis
which is the most dangerous case resulting from the destruction of
psychological and mental infrastructure of the prisoner through isolating
him from the external world for many years and the periodical psychosis
which is limited to pathological breakdown and the symptom of pathological
ulceration.
Hafez
underlined that it is necessary to establish a national center for the
rehabilitation of Lebanese detainees.
The United Nations
Then,
Mr. Najib Freij, ESCWA Information director read the speech of Mr. Kofi
Annan, UN secretary General, on the occasion of “UN World Day for
supporing the torture’s victims “ on June 26th .
In the
name of the UN and on behalf of the secretary general, he called upon
countries to prohibit torture and invited all governments to take part in
the “agreement fighting against torture and other violent, inhuman and
offensive treatment or penalties “.
He
also noted that the contribution in the United Nations Voluntary Fund for
the torture’s victims is considered a means that can be used by
governments to show their interest in this regard.
He
ended up saying, on behalf of the Secretary General, that “ it is so
late to put an end to torture but we can make additional efforts to
decrease this danger “.
Mr.
Safa
Then, Mr. Mohamad Safa, secretary general of the committee delivered a
speech in which he declared the establishment of “Khiam Center for the
rehabilitation of torture’s victims “ noting that the center was so
called according to “Khiam detention camp” in which 15 prisoners were
dead because of torture and those who are still imprisoned therein are
subject to cruel torture. This name was also chosen to remind all ages of
this prison and to condemn Israel forever for the crimes it committed in
this prison as well as in its prisons.
Mr.
Safa summarized the objectives of the center contrary
to
the khiam detention camp as follows :
1-
Doing statistics and documentation about the health and
psychological situation of the survivors.
2- Establishing centers for physical, psychological and medical
treatment as well as for educational, professional and social
rehabilitation.
3- Organizing conferences and seminars about the rehabilitation and
issuing documents and books about social and psychological effects of
torture.
4- Therapeutic and social follow- up for families whose provider is
missing.
5- Organizing psychological educational sessions.
6- Organizing various activities for the survivors and their children
and helping them reintegrate in society.
Safa
called upon International, Arab and Lebanese health and human centers and
organizations to support this project so that it will succeed.
He
asked the government again to sign an anti- torture agreement and to
continue providing released detainees with employment and recruit them in
public institutions and providing every released detainee with a health
card from the Ministry of Health.
Karam
The
conference was closed by a speech made by the minister Karam in which he
stated that the Ministry of Health adopts Khiam center for the
rehabilitation of torture’s victims which, according to the follow- up
committee, is being established.
Karam
noted that the govrnment has always called upon releasing detainees from
Israeli prisons and worked to reduce their sufferings whenever they were
released. He confirmed that the government is always ready to welcome them
and reduce the burden of suffering that they are charged with whenever
they come back.
Karam
praised the efforts made by the follow- up committee to support the
detainees case considering that these great efforts convene with the
sacrifices presented by the heroic act of the detainees”
He
then added :” We shall all make efforts on physical and moral levels for
the safety of these detainees” .
26/06/1999.
|
OPTIONS |
|
|
 |