Palestinian Detainees communicate via camera phones

According to Islam Online, many Palenstinian detainees use camera mobile phones to have a virtual contact with their families and create a network to maintain internal solidarity among them.

"Thamer Nabil El-Hajji, a detainee in Magido, told IslamOnline.net over the phone Thursday, December 30, that the phones have gained popularity inside the Israeli prison in the northern West Bank- El-Hajji made the interview over his mobile phone, equipped with a camera he uses to communicate with his family in virtual reality.

The non-stop effort on the side of Palestinians comes to counter the increasingly massive restrictions imposed by Israeli prison authorities to cut off detainees from the new service. Cell signals are regularly jammed by hi-tech sophisticated equipment and the search of relatives and detainees has been reinforced.

Prison authorities are aware of the existence of the phones, and regularly launch search campaigns to confiscate them, according to El-Hajji.

The detainees have also their creative ways to stop the work of jamming equipment in the prison such as the use of antennas.

The use of such a hi-tech device was not limited to communication purposes, as detainees have used the cell phones to rally support for a hunger strike they launched in August.

They used the cells to contact human rights organizations to highlight their suffering in detention."

Related articles from around the world on inmates and cell phones:

-- Norway: Cell phone ban in jails proposed - The Norwegian government wants to ban all use of cell phones in Norwegian jails because of reports stating that cell phones are used to plan escapes

-- Man shoots cell phones into Swedish prison - In one of the stranger stories to come along, authorities in Sweden arrested a man who shot mobile phones into the yard of a high-security prison with a bow and arrows, police said Saturday.

-- Feds probe jail phone incident in Hammond (Indiana) - Federal officials are investigating how a smuggled cell phone got into the hands of a federal inmate housed at the Hammond City Jail in the past month.

-- Phones in prisons a widespread problem in Mexico Homesick inmates aren't just calling home. They are coordinating armed robberies, drug deals and kidnappings, authorities say.

-- Prison Cells - Recently, prison officials, aware of one inmate's illegal phone, allowed him to make calls so that they could monitor his activities. Once they were ready to seize the phone, however, the inmate flushed it down the toilet.

-- The newest prison contraband: cellphones - Cellphones are becoming the newest form of coveted contraband, allowing inmates to communicate freely with the outside world and, at times, conduct illicit activity from behind bars.

-- Cell phones becoming one of most prized contraband items - Cell phones have joined the ranks of the most prized illicit commodities inside Texas prison cells

-- Crossed signals over jail mobile phone jamming - The New South Wales Government has accused the Federal Government of blocking a trial of mobile phone jamming in the State's jails

-- Prisoners shown smoking drugs and using mobiles - A Brazilian TV station has shocked the country by screening footage of maximum security prisoners freely smoking cannabis and using mobile phones.

-- Inmate Sentenced for Nextel Phone Scam - A US inmate used a jail telephone to impersonate Hollywood executives and dupe Nextel Communications out of more than 1,000 cell phones.

-- Mobiles in top security prison - Four mobiles were discovered hidden by inmates at one of Britain's top security prisons.

-- Staying well connected in jail - A mafia don in prison in New Delhi, planned the killing of Police officers by SMS.

-- Convict ran drug ring from prison - A Canadian inmate organized a cocaine run from Miami to Canada. Partners on the outside paid for his cell phone bills through phone cards.

-- Camera phone in Sydney jail gets media attention - An illegall photo of flamboyant jailed stockbroker Rene Rivkin, serving the first 24 hours of his sentence for insider trading, was taken on a mobile phone camera inside the detention center and published on the front page of Sydney's Sunday Telegraph.

emily | 4:06 PM | How people and businesses are using cameraphones |
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