Failure to include perspectives of Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups regarding medical neglect of hunger striker

"In the CBC’s brief segment, it is reported that “[Israeli] Officials say he refused medical treatment while his legal proceedings moved forward.” This is a claim which seeks to put the blame on Khader Adnan for his own death. However, the segment did not include the critical perspectives of Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups who have directly contradicted Israel’s claim."


May 2, 2023

To:

Marcia Young, Host of the World Report, CBC Radio One

Brodie Fenlon, News Editor-in-Chief, CBC News

George Achi, Director of Journalistic Standards and Public Trust, CBC News


Dear Ms. Young, Mr. Fenlon, and Mr. Achi,

I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to request an update to the CBC’s coverage of the killing of Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan, who died from Israeli medical neglect on day 86 of a hunger strike. A segment about this story aired during the World Report on CBC Radio One early on May 2, 2023, prior to BBC Business Daily.

In the CBC’s brief segment, it is reported that “[Israeli] Officials say he refused medical treatment while his legal proceedings moved forward.” This is a claim which seeks to put the blame on Khader Adnan for his own death. However, the segment did not include the critical perspectives of Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups who have directly contradicted Israel’s claim.

Importantly, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) claims that Khader Adnan was denied medical care by Israeli authorities, who rejected their warnings about his health condition:

“For weeks, following a severe deterioration in his condition, we tried to convince the Health Ministry, Kaplan Hospital, and the Israel Prison Service (IPS) to keep Adnan hospitalized. The IPS clinic was not equipped to monitor Adnan and could not provide emergency intervention in case of sudden deterioration. After visiting Adnan a few days before his death, PHRI chairperson Dr. Lina Qasem-Hassan published a medical report warning that he faces imminent death and must be urgently transferred to a hospital for observation. Unfortunately, our efforts to raise these concerns judicially and individually fell on deaf ears.”[1]

As PHRI was quoted by the Associated Press, “We lay the responsibility for [Khader Adnan’s] death at the feet of the Israeli authorities.”[2]

Similarly, the Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC), which includes the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, has accused Israeli authorities of “sustained and purposive practice of medical neglect, including the denial of hospital care to Khader despite a medical emergency,” and holds them “directly responsible for Khader’s death.”[3]

I know that it is not possible to include every piece of relevant context in a brief segment. However, this perspective from human rights groups directly contradicts the claims of the Israeli government as reported in the segment.

I request that the CBC includes this perspective in all future reporting on this story, including on the World Report. The CBC should note that human rights groups claim that Khader Adnan was denied medical care, and that they hold Israeli officials responsible for his death.

Thank you for updating your reporting to include this important information. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.

Sincerely,

Michael Bueckert, PhD

Vice President, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

 

[1] Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), “Palestinian Hunger Striker Khader Adnan Dies in Israeli Prison,” May 2, 2023, https://www.phr.org.il/en/khader-adnan-dies-in-israeli-prison/ 

[2] Prominent Palestinian hunger striker dies in Israeli custody, Associated Press, May 2, 2023, https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/05/02/palestinian-prisoner-dies-in-israel-after-long-hunger-strike/

[3] Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council (PHROC), “Prominent Palestinian Activist and Political Prisoner Khader Adnan Passes Away Due To Deliberate Medical Neglect At The Hands Of The Israeli Occupation,” May 2, 2023, https://www.addameer.org/news/5021