ICSPR Strongly Condemns the Decision to Cut the Salaries of Prisoners and Released Detainees

Date: May 12, 2025
Original Language: Arabic

Press Release

The International Commission (ICSPR) Strongly Condemns the Decision to Cut the Salaries of Prisoners and Released Detainees, Considering It an Unconstitutional Measure and a Legal and Ethical Crime That Requires Reversal and Accountability

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) strongly condemns and denounces, in the strongest terms, the Palestinian Authority’s implementation of an arbitrary and illegal decision to cut the salaries of approximately 1,612 male and female prisoners and released detainees, including public employees. This dangerous step constitutes collective punishment and a blatant violation of the most basic legal, constitutional, and human rights principles, which requires its cancellation and those responsible held accountable.

The Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank proceeded on Sunday, May 11, 2025, to cut the salaries of hundreds of prisoners and released detainees, who were shocked to find no financial entitlements in the Palestinian post offices.

This action follows a decision by the head of the Authority to transfer the salaries of prisoners and martyrs to the “Tamkeen” Foundation and to study the cases of prisoners, thereby reducing their cause to a form of social assistance.

Documented data indicate that these measures were implemented based on joint recommendations by the Ministry of Finance and security agencies, and based on pre-prepared lists in which the names of the prisoners whose salaries were cut were selected and sent from the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission without any legal investigation or granting the affected individuals the right to defend themselves, and without subjecting the decision to any judicial oversight. This renders the decision illegitimate and lacking the most basic guarantees of justice.

It constitutes a clear violation of the provisions of the Palestinian Basic Law, particularly Article (22/2), which affirms the Palestinian National Authority’s commitment to care for prisoners, martyrs’ families, the wounded, and those affected. It also violates the Law of Prisoners and Released Detainees No. (19) of 2004 and its amendments, which explicitly states the right of released prisoners to receive monthly financial allocations to ensure a dignified life for them and their families. Additionally, it contradicts the Civil Service Law, the Law of Service in the Security Forces, and the General Retirement Law, all of which guarantee a set of financial and administrative rights for public employees and prohibit salary cuts or suspensions except through fair legal procedures that ensure the employee’s right to defense.

Data also indicate that the policy of cutting the salaries of prisoners, released detainees, and female prisoners is expected to continue in the coming months, exacerbating the crisis and deepening social and national harm.

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR), while once again condemning the salary cuts of prisoners, released detainees, and some martyr families, strongly denounces this dangerous step, which completely contradicts the national, ethical, and legal obligations toward the prisoner cause and represents a serious extension of exclusion and marginalization policies against a group that sacrificed its freedom for the dignity and freedom of the homeland.

ICSPR warns of the repercussions of this unjust decision, which negatively impacts their children and families, as these salaries are often their sole source of income. It reaffirms the unconstitutionality of this decision, considering it a legal and ethical crime, and a compound violation of the right to a decent life, an adequate standard of living, and the right to non-discrimination and protection from collective punishment. ICSPR accordingly records and demands the following:

1. ICSPR affirms the illegality of this measure, as it clearly violates Palestinian laws, particularly the Basic Law and the Prisoners and Released Detainees Law. It undermines the rule of law and represents an abuse of power. Furthermore, the rights of prisoners, released detainees, and families of martyrs and the wounded are inviolable and must not be used as tools for political or administrative blackmail. Targeting them constitutes a moral and political disgrace that must be condemned.

2. ICSPR calls on the Palestinian President and government to immediately reverse the policy and crime of cutting and deducting salaries of prisoners, employees, and families of martyrs and the wounded, and to restore full salary payments to prisoners and released detainees retroactively, in order to uphold the rule of law and achieve justice.

3. ICSPR urges the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Palestinian factions, and civil society organizations to fulfill their national and ethical responsibilities, exerting the necessary pressure to stop all violations against released prisoners whose salaries were cut, supporting their demands, and holding those responsible accountable.

4. ICSPR calls for the activation of all union, societal, peaceful, legal, and judicial efforts to object to these violations, and to ensure the reinstatement of salaries and allocations for prisoners, families of martyrs and the wounded, and all employees, while rejecting the policy of collective punishment.