Dear friends,
Over recent weeks we have uncovered, together with fellow human rights organizations, testimonies and evidence of dozens of cases of severe abuse of Palestinian prisoners by prison guards in seven different prisons, by various units of the Israel Prison Service (IPS). The evidence leaves no room for doubt: something very bad is happening in Israel’s prisons.
The work of gathering testimonies, led by attorneys from PCATI and other organizations, formed the basis for a letter we sent to IPS Commissioner Kati Perry and to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The letter summarizes 19 testimonies of severe physical violence leading to serious injuries and, in all probability, even to several fatalities among prisoners. The testimonies included descriptions of the sexual degradation of women and men, as well as explicit threats to prisoners not to complain about the abuse they suffered. This is how one of the complainants described to us what was happening in Ketsiot prison – the same prison where a prisoner recently died, allegedly as a result of violence by the guards:
“The guards would enter the cell and beat everyone without exception with sticks and anything else they had in their hands [...] There was a particularly difficult incident, when special unit guards put me in the bathroom and urinated on me [...] I also witnessed several cases of sexual harassment, when guards would conduct a strip search, pin naked prisoners together, and insert the aluminum device that was used for the search in their buttocks [...] All this, in front of the eyes of other prisoners and of guards, who expressed joy at the harm to the prisoners.”
Additional testimonies from detainees from the Gazan Strip who were taken to prison facilities in Israel, this time those run by the military, were recently published in an investigation by 972 Magazine. The testimonies reveal practices of severe and systematic abuse, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment by Israeli soldiers, including tying detainees to a fence for a protracted period, extinguishing cigarettes on them, beating them on all parts of their bodies, shackling their hands and feet, and blindfolding them for most of the day. As we explained in the article, the detention of Gazan citizens under the Illegal Combatants Law – which in its current version allows for detention without any documentation for 45 days, 75 days without judicial review, and denial of meetings with a lawyer for 180 days – turns the military detention facilities into a “black hole” where people can disappear or be abused and no-one will ever know.
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There is grave concern that the cases we identified and those recently exposed in the media are merely the tip of the iceberg. While we await a response, more cases of violence and death are being revealed, and the judicial system remains silent. The Supreme Court has so far unquestioningly accepted the IPS’s claims that all the measures are necessary in order to maintain security. The Court has closed its eyes to the repeated statements by Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister in charge of the IPS, who seems to be making every possible effort to invent increasingly imaginative – and increasing illegal – ways to punish and degrade the prisoners for whose lives and dignity he is responsible. The impression is that everyone is competing to show is taking a tougher stance against the Palestinians.
>> Read more here, on Washington Post; NBC News; Liberation
It is understandable that after the horrors of October 7, most Israelis feel no compassion for Palestinian prisoners. But compassion or empathy have never been the reasons why we must protect the human dignity of prisoners. This is a fight for our moral image, for the red lines we are not willing to cross, for our moral advantage. An imprisoned person is by definition helpless, unable to escape in order to protect themselves against violence, and their life is in the hands of their guards. Those responsible for the October 7 attacks must be investigated, prosecuted, and punished according to the law – not according to the dictates of rage and revenge.
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The harsh war in Gaza entered its third month this week. The past months have been exhausting, sad, and difficult on the personal, family, and societal levels. The endless flood of information often leads to numbness and a feeling of despair and helplessness in the face of reality. The thought of the Israeli abductees, who recently passed their 100th day in captivity by Hamas, is unbearable, and we continue to wish for their return home, intact in body and soul. For us in PCATI, the captives and the survivors of the October 7 attack are without question victims of torture and inhumane, cruel, and degrading treatment, and as such they are also part of our circle of concern and responsibility. We are ready and willing to make our professional, legal, and forensic capabilities available to them.
With this in mind, I am pleased to share with you a new study written by a group of researchers from PCATI’s Forensic Group – Dr. Daniel Weishut, Dr. Rachel Rokach, Dorit Gurny, and Dr. Bettina Steiner-Birmanns. The study explores the subject of cooperation between physicians and mental health professionals. Health professionals who work together to evaluate torture victims in accordance with the Istanbul Protocol encounter testimonies of severe psychological and physical trauma. The encounter between the professionals may arouse strong emotions that can complicate their cooperation. The study examines the complex nature of this cooperation through internal reflection and dialogue between the authors. The article offers recommendations for effective cooperation between the medical professions based on efforts to build teamwork by developing trust between the professionals, planning the evaluation, and ensuring effective communication before, during, and after the evaluation. Read the full article here (in English).
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With hopes for better times,
Atty. Tal Schneider
Executive Director
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