Dear friends,

Torture is one of the hardest and most complicated issues to discuss. It forces us to talk about acts that our minds do not want to admit can happen and our hearts struggle to contain. But nevertheless, we must talk about and we must raise the issue. Because it is happening, and because the victims of these acts are humans living here among us, carrying visible and invisible scars that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Given how complex the issue is, it was moving to see the dozens of people who came to the conference we held last week together with our partners in Physicians for Human Rights. The conference discussed various aspects of trauma and torture. Its goal was to introduce professionals from the fields of mental health, medicine, and law to the latest version of the Istanbul Protocol – the United Nations’ international standard for documenting torture. The protocol establishes rules for conducting admissible and credible medical and psychological evaluations.

The conference included 18 lectures presented in four parallel sessions. Leading professionals shared with the participants the extensive knowledge that has been accumulated in documenting and treating torture victims. The challenging issues raised included the encounter with asylum seekers who are victims of torture and trauma; the principle of “non-refoulement” in Israel and the position of Palestinian LGBTQ+ asylum seekers; intergenerational transmission of moral injury caused by torture; improper medical conduct in detention centers and the public health system, and more. The conference paid special attention to various aspects of torture and trauma in Israel and Palestine following October 7, 2023, including the treatment of Israeli hostages and of the captives released in the deals at the beginning of the war; documented and reported atrocities committed against detainees from Gaza in Israeli detention centers, and other aspects.

>> See summarized video clip:

The conference began with prerecorded comments by Dr. Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment. Dr Edwards visited the region recently as part of her efforts to examine and report on such acts that have been committed (and are still being committed) as part of the war in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon. The Rapporteur’s work is vital in order to bring these acts to the attention of the international community and to ensure that meaningful steps are taken to prevent them and to prosecute the perpetrators. This is particularly important given the attempts by the security forces to conceal acts committed in detention centers and facilities such as Sde Teman, Anatot, and Ofer Prison, where Palestinian detainees continue to face difficult conditions and the extensive denial of their human rights.

Although PCATI faced more obstacles than ever over the past year, we made significant achievements in our work. Thanks to our legal and public action, more detainees are now entitled to meet with an attorney and are able to file complaints about their maltreatment. More injustices have been exposed in the local and international media and reach the attention of the general public and of decision makers. More professionals are receiving tools enabling them to support torture victims from all sections of society. We continue to demand that the society we live in – which itself experienced such violent and harsh trauma – rejects torture once and for all.

As Dr. Edwards said in her speech: "The prohibition on torture is unambiguous. It is prohibited in peacetime, wartime, occupation and during all other public emergencies. No state can ever justify the use of torture. No derogation is permissible… When torture is perpetrated, the effects are deep and broad. The harm affects the victim profoundly. That harm can be mental or physical or both… The impact on family members and community cannot be under-estimated, and they too may suffer the effects of torture. Torture also causes long lasting fractures in society and between societies. It can stand in the way of peace, justice and co-existence. And this is why it is absolutely prohibited. No good is served by torture. Only evil”.

As the New Year begins, the state of human rights in Israel has reached an all-time low. We view our work as a vital mission and invite you to join us as partners in this cause. Stand with us in the fight to support the victims of torture and to create a future where peace, justice, and coexistence can thrive.
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Yours,

Tal Steiner
Executive Director, PCATI

הוועד הציבורי נגד עינויים בישראל | لجنة مناهضة التعذيب

https://stoptorture.org.il

הוועד הציבורי נגד עינויים בישראל הוא ארגון זכויות אדם, אשר מאז 1990 פועל למען מיגור העינויים בישראל. אנחנו מגינים על מי שנפגעו בחקירות, בהפגנות, בעת מעצר, בבתי הסוהר ועוד; ומייצגים ישראלים, פלסטינים, פליטים ומהגרים שספגו עינויים, יחס בלתי אנושי ואכזרי או משפיל מידי הרשויות הישראליות –שב”כ, משטרת ישראל, הצבא ועוד. הוועד גאה בתמיכה ובמימון שהוא מקבל מאנשים פרטיים, קרנות, ממשלות, וגופים מקצועיים. רוב המימון מגיע מישויות מדיניות זרות. פירוט נוסף על פעילותנו מופיע באתר האינטרנט

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