Forty US lawmakers called for the release of 20-year-old Birzeit University student Sama Safi, who is being held in an Israeli military prison. The lawmakers, including six senators, made the appeal in a letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The letter said Safi is living with the serious, chronic disease known as Familial Mediterranean Fever, that her health is rapidly deteriorating and that continued detention could cause potentially fatal damage to her internal organs.
Safi’s detention
Safi was taken from her family home in the occupied West Bank during military raids carried out at night on June 2. After a brief medical leave, the student was detained again on August 16.
The lawmakers said Safi had not taken any of her daily medication since being detained again and had not been assessed by medical professionals. The letter also said the US administration has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its citizens abroad.
Allegations of mistreatment in the letter
Based on Safi’s account, the lawmakers said she was handcuffed, blindfolded and deprived of food and water during the first 24 hours of her detention. The letter also alleged that gas and stun grenades were thrown into poorly ventilated cells, and that handcuffing and stress positions caused Safi severe chest pain.
The lawmakers described these conditions as “the de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture.” They characterized Safi’s transfer from the West Bank to Damon military prison near Haifa as an “overt violation” of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
US State Department’s position
A US State Department spokesperson said in June that the department was aware that a US citizen was being held in detention in the West Bank. The spokesperson said the administration takes seriously its commitment to assist US citizens abroad and was monitoring the situation. No further details were provided on privacy grounds.
Palestinian records show that approximately 23,000 people have been detained in the occupied territories since the current war in the Gaza Strip began.
