Israel’s ambassador to Honduras, Eliau Lopes has said that he planned to meet with Honduran President Lobo to present a proposal by an Israeli company to build four modern, safe, high-security prisons. Lopes said the cost of the project is high but “it can be achieved with international aid. We are talking about facilities where no one will escape, where there won’t be fires,” he said.This offer came in the backdrop of 16 February fire in a Honduran jail wherein over 350 inmates were burned or suffocated to death. Lopes may not only offer the technical expertise and assistance but also something to be added to the Honduras’ penal code – how to keep opponents behind bars without getting blamed for constitutional non-compliance.
Khader Adnan was picked up by the Israeli forces in a night-time raid in West Bank; he is being detained without any charge or trial under ‘administrative detention’ – a legal cover from British colonial period to suppress the Palestinians. Khader has not accepted Israel’s right to detain him without any charge or trial – he has gone on hunger strike for over last two months to highlight the gross violation of human rights in the beacon of democracy in the Middle East. He is one of 307 Palestinians, including 27 members of Palestinian Legislative Council, who are behind bars under this blanket (il)legal cover.
Adnan is being joined by hundred more Palestinians in his hunger strike, but where are the UN human rights watchdogs – why are they silent? Their tactical silence is obvious when their boss, UN Sectary General Ban ki-Moon, himself refused to meet any Palestinian prisoners’ families during his last visit to Gaza; he however met Gilad Shalit’s family several times. In short, Lopes can teach the world how to detain one’s opponents for indefinite period of time without a fear of any voices coming out or a protest/riot disturbing the business as usual of the ruling elites. But for sure for that you need a good backer – may be a policeman of the unipolar world.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
