14 Ways to Torture Palestinian Detainees

May 6, 2007

The report says torture does not take place in a void, but rather with the blessing of the Israeli system.

By IOL Staff

CAIRO — Torture of thousands of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails is an entrenched part of the system and there is a devised list of 14 ways to do that, two Israeli human rights groups concluded in a joint report released on Sunday, May 6.

"It can be stated that the Shin Bet's routine interrogation policy mostly includes violating the prisoners' human rights and the use of measures aimed at breaking their spirit and obtaining information from them against their free will," the report read.

"These measures are defined as torture under international law," said the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories (B'Tselem) and the HaMoked Centre for the Defense of the Individual, the authors.

The report, "Utterly Forbidden: The Torture and Ill-Treatment of Palestinian Detainees", indicates that almost all Palestinian detainees suffer physical, mental abuse.

The majority of the 73 Palestinians interviewed for the report said they were subjected to "beatings, painful binding, swearing, humiliation and denial of basic needs" from the moment of their arrest.

The study defines a list of seven commonly-used practices including isolation from the outside world, solitary confinement, sleep disturbance, shackling to chairs, nude searches and threats of torture and arrest of family members.

Worse still, Palestinians deemed "exceptional" detainees by Israeli interrogators are subjected to a "special" seven-step interrogation protocol.

This includes beatings, forcing detainees into a "frog" crouch on their tiptoes and bending them backwards in a "banana position" while they were seated on a backless chair.

The Israeli groups pressed for an immediate halt of such shameful techniques that "injure the dignity or physical integrity" of detainees.

There are nearly 11,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails and detention centers, including at least 126 women and 450 minors.

Protected

The 92-page report concludes that torture in Israeli jails is applied "under the auspices" of higher authorities.

"Shin Bet and soldiers do not operate in a vacuum, they are part of a system," it insists.

"The situation described in this document could not have come about without the support of other bodies responsible for implementing the law in Israel."

The two rights watchdogs said that a mechanism of concealment and cover-up always work to "guard the Israeli guards at prisons."

No criminal investigations have been opened in torture and abuse complaints since 2001, they added.

"Despite the fact that since 2001 the State Attorney's Office received over 500 complaints regarding ill-treatment by the Israeli security agency interrogators, it has not found cause to order the instigation of a single criminal investigation."

And even in few cases when a probe is held, according to the report, indictment stands as a rare turn out.

The groups accused the Israeli High Court of Justice (HCJ) of being part of the corrupt system.

"The ISA interrogation system is significantly aided by the HCJ, which serves as a rubber stamp on orders which regulate the isolation of the interogees from the outside world.

"The HCJ did not accept even one of the hundreds of petitions brought before it against such orders."

Israel's Supreme Court, citing its opposition to torture,said in a landmark ruling in 1999 the Shin Bet did not have legal authority to use "physical means" of interrogation that are not "reasonable and fair" and cause the detainee to suffer.

But the court said a reasonable interrogation was likely to cause discomfort and put pressure on a suspect.

This, the court said, was lawful only if it was not aimed at "breaking" a detainee's spirit.

International and Israeli human rights groups have long complained about mistreatment of Palestinians held by Israel on suspicion of security offences.

Click here to read the report in full.