A Palestinian prisoner became a father of a baby boy yesterday after he smuggled his sperm out of Israel’s Gilboa prison last year, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission has revealed.

The head of the Committee, Amjad Abu Assab, said newborn Ali is an ambassador of freedom.
Prisoner Ahmad Shaheen’s family expressed their happiness with their new arrival.

Shaheen was sentenced to 22 years in prison, of which he has served 16. He was arrested on 22 July 2001, leaving his pregnant wife alone. His wife gave birth to their child, Omar, on 25 December 2001, five months after Ahmad was arrested.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Centre for Studies, to date, 50 children have been born after sperm was smuggled out of Israeli prisons.

“Twenty-three prisoners had attempted to reproduce through the smuggling of sperm by the beginning of 2015, and they had 30 children,” the centre’s spokesperson, Riyad Al-Ashqar, said today.

He added: “This number rose at the beginning of 2016 to 28 prisoners who had 38 children. The number rose to reach 39 prisoners who had 50 children.”

He pointed out that the first attempt to smuggle sperm was by the prisoner Ammar Al-Zein, whose wife gave birth to their first born, Mohannad, through this method on 13 August 2012.

Prisoner Iyad Mahlous from Jerusalem, who is sentencing a life term, became a father to triplets after his sperm was smuggled out of prison.

He pointed out that the occupation authorities have repeatedly tried to prevent the smuggling of sperm and have imposed various measures and sanctions on prisoners, which have all failed to prevent the phenomenon.

Al-Ashqar said: “This reflects a moral victory for the prisoners and shows their strong will and hope, which will never fade nor disappear.

They have overcome all walls, borders and barbed wire, despite the harshness of prison guards, the difficult circumstances and the long years that have passed without freedom.”

Source: PNN