Autopsy reveals Palestinian prisoner died of heart condition after years of medical neglect
Sept. 26, 2016 5:46 P.M. (Updated: Sept. 26, 2016 5:46 P.M.)
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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) — An autopsy has confirmed the cause of death of 41-year-old Palestinian prisoner Yasser Thiyab Hamduna, who died in Israeli custody Sunday morning, was cardiomegaly, a condition in which the heart is enlarged and can lead to sudden cardiac death.
A statement from the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs released on Monday announced the cause of death following the autopsy. Initial reports indicated the prisoner had died of either a stroke or a heart attack.
The Committee said that the autopsy of Hamduna’s body was carried out in the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute in Tel Aviv with the participation of two Palestinian doctors — Ashraf al-Qadi and Rayan Ali — as was ordered by the Israeli central court the day prior.
Two lawyers from the Committee, Iyad Misk and Karim Ajwa, also attended autopsy.
Hamduna’s body is reportedly to be returned to his family on Monday. He is from the village of Yaabad, in the northern occupied West Bank district of Jenin
The Committee’s statement reiterated the accusation that Hamduna faced deliberate medical negligence by Israeli prison authorities and doctors, who were aware of the fact that he had been suffering from a number of health issues, including shortness of breath, heart problems, and ear pains.
He was severely beaten by prison guards in 2003 after his imprisonment in June that year, and had since been taken to the al-Ramla prison clinic a number of times after his health deteriorated, where lawyers and prisoners’ rights groups familiar with the case said he was routinely denied adequate treatment.