Dear friends,
Today, June 26, the world marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, inaugurated by the United Nations General Assembly in solidarity with those injured physically or psychologically by torture. Over the long months since the war erupted in October, torture seems to have been a more prominent phenomenon than ever. Tragically, the testimonies of the survivors of October 7, the fate of the hostages still held in captivity, and the anger and horror on the Israeli side unleashed the reins among some decision-makers and security forces representatives, leading to the implementation of a policy of torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees from Gaza held in detention facilities in Israel. The most prominent example of this – though regrettably not the only one – is the Sde Teiman detention facility.
Sde Teiman reached the headlines due to the large number of detainees held at the facility and the reports that began to emerge regarding the conditions in which they were held. Meanwhile, thousands of detainees from the West Bank held in the Israel Prison Service facilities remain more distant from the public eye and endure inhuman and dangerous conditions. Reports suggest that dozens of detainees have died since the war began. In the 30 years that the Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI) has been active, we cannot recall a more serious crisis in the rights of detainees.
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The only good news – and news that cannot be taken for granted – is that after many months of campaigning alongside many partners in civil society, we are finally beginning to see the first signs of change. Thanks to our determination, many of the phenomena we exposed are now being blocked. Together, we managed to reveal the conditions in the incarceration facilities and detention camps in the Israeli media and internationally and to raise the issue on the agenda. We reached out to the United Nations' human rights experts, who warned Israel about the grave violation of detainees’ basic rights. We opposed draconian legislation being driven through the Knesset, and petitioned the Supreme Court against the Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law, which allowed detainees to be held in such awful conditions without proper judicial review and without contact with the outside world. At the same time, we spoke out clearly to demand the recognition of the survivors of the October 7 attack as victims of torture, offered our support, and invited them to take advantage of our accumulated forensic expertise and legal resources.
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The petition against the Unlawful Combatants Law, together with massive public pressure, including a brave group of Israeli activists who demonstrated outside the Sde Teiman camp, led the state to admit in its response that around 40 percent of detainees defined as "unlawful combatants" since the beginning of the war have been released, so that they were effectively the victims of false arrest. This amounts to the enormous figure of 1,500 detainees. The petition also led the state to agree to official visits to the detention facilities by various officials, including Members of Knesset, judges, and representatives of the Ministry of Justice. The state also announced the establishment of an investigative committed in the office of the Chief of Staff to examine the conditions in which detainees are held. Prior to this, the Unlawful Combatants Law was amended and the period during which detainees can be denied contact with an attorney was reduced to three months; now, for the first time, meetings can be held with detainees and their testimonies can be taken.
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Watch Members of Knesset Aida Touma-Suleiman, Ahmad Tibi and Ofer Cassif yesterday in the plenum reading out the testimonies of detainees and individuals serving at the Sde Teiman facility. In coordination with us, these Members of Knesset sought to place International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on the parliamentary agenda [Hebrew only]:
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International pressure played a vital part. As will be recalled, the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague has requested detention warrants against the Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister, and against three senior Hamas leaders, on suspicion of war crimes and crime against humanity on October 7 and during the subsequent war in Gaza. This request echoed in the hall of the Israeli Supreme Court, which must now reach a decision in the petition. As we have clarified, we do not intend to accept the small steps taken too late by the state. The Unlawful Combatants Law is unconstitutional, gravely violates the right to liberty, life, body, and due process, and should be abolished.
As explained in the annual information sheet we published today, the challenges we are facing are numerous and unprecedented in their scope and severity. We are doing everything we can to prevent any person in Israel and the territories under its control from experiencing suffering and abuse. On this day and during this period, in particular, I invite you to strengthen us and support our work. Any donation, however small, will help us to hold another prison visit, submit another court petition, publish another report, hold another training session for grassroot activists and therapeutic professionals, and present a clear, strong voice in favor of an Israel free of torture.
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Yours,
Tal Steiner
Executive Director, PCATI
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