Expert in prisoners’ affairs, Abdel Nasser Ferwaneh, disclosed yesterday that the Israeli Occupation Authorities have arrested more than 16,000 Palestinian women since 1967, and most were beaten and exposed to physical and psychological torture while under arrest. Ferwaneh said Palestinian women are subjected to harsh treatment by the Occupation Forces without the slightest consideration of their gender, privacy, age, illness or special needs. On his part, the director of the Palestine Center for Prisoner Studies, Riyad Ashkar, said the Israeli Occupation arrested 2,250 women since Al Aqsa Intifada in 2000, including scores of underage girls, as well as wounded, sick and elderly women. He revealed that over the past years, many harsh sentences were pronounced against female prisoners, in addition to substantial fines amounting to tens of thousands of shekels. According to Ashkar, there are currently 22 female prisoners serving different sentences, including 8 prisoners sentenced to 10 years and 39 others serving their jail terms in extreme conditions, including 14 mothers, university students and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. (Al Diyar, November 26, 2020)