June 23, 2012

The 26th of June marks the anniversary of the International Day against Torture.

A report recently issued by Detainees and Ex-Detainees Society revealed that torturing Palestinian prisoners and humiliating them have become a form of ethical and legal corruption practiced by the Israeli occupation authorities.

The report also said that in the past few years, torturing prisoners has become a means for humiliating prisoners and depriving them of their humanity and dignity, and not a for interrogation purposes.

This is shown through pictures published by Israeli soldiers that show the soldiers both male and female posing with prisoners who are handcuffed and blindfolded in disgraceful positions, while the soldiers appear happy and proud of their handwork.

Soldiers and interrogators used and still using unethical methods during interrogations with prisoners, especially child prisoners. Such methods include sexual abuses (around 16% of detained children) and threatening to rape them. Around 90% of soldiers treat prisoners with excessive brutality.

The International Day against Torture addresses the physical and psychological torture used continuously by the Israeli interrogators, which demands an immediate intervention to pursue Israel and condemn the war crimes it practices against prisoners in serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Minister of Detainees and Ex-Detainees society, Issa Qaraqe, called on the United Nations to declare that Israel is not a state above the international humanitarian law, and to withdraw its membership from the UN because it hasn't respected the human rights law and the UN conventions, which were the main reason to for accepting Israel as member state in the UN.

Qaraqe said that 178 decisions has been issued by the UN condemning Israel for its serious mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners since 1967, which shows that Israel hasn't committed to acting upon these international decisions.


Source