Ilyas notes his father is being tortured while deprived of treatment related to heart problems [GETTY]
Ilyas Abu Safiya, the son of renowned Palestinian doctor Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, is calling for his father’s release after an Israeli court extended his detention as friends, family and supporters worry for his health.
“We cry, we suffer, we fear for the fate of my father, who is tortured without charge,” Ilyas Abu Safiya tells The New Arab.
“His only charge is that he saved lives and children, did not let them down.”
The Beersheba District Court approved the extension without filing any charges and rejected the defence’s request for his immediate release, rights group Physicians for Human Rights in Israel (PHRI) said in a statement.
The court revealed they approved the extension under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians from Gaza for prolonged periods without trial. The defence argued that detaining a doctor while he carries out his medical duties constitutes as unlawful detention.
Abu Safiya, who has now been detained for almost 18 months, is currently being held in Negev Prison, a facility it says is known for severe abuse of Palestinian detainees and harsh conditions.
Rights groups, colleagues, lawyers and family members have reported his health as being poor, as he suffers psychological pressure and interrogation sessions and physical strain. He has also suffered an eye injury.
“My father dies every day,” Ilyas says. “He’s deprived of medicine, food, everything.”
Ilyas said his father is being tortured while being deprived of treatment related to heart problems. The doctor has requested an examination for his heart, as well as regular medication for high blood pressure and scabies, but Israeli forces ignored these requests.
Dr Abu Safiya’s lawyer reported him as having arterial tension, cardiac arrhythmia, and vision problems, along with major weight loss and injuries from interrogations.
When asked what more needs to be done for his father, Ilyas speaks of spreading his father’s story.
“Talking about my father in the media, news, gazettes and political pressure to liberate him,” Ilyas says.
“Raise his picture and talk about him.”
