Addameer’s forthcoming Annual Violations report on 2016 will be released soon, highlighting systematic violations of the rights of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli detention. The report aims to document the situation of Palestinian prisoners and detainees and through 341 interviews conducted by Addameer attorneys and 65 field visits for data collection. The report highlights practices and violations associated with the arrest process, from the moment of arrest, interrogation, as well as inhumane detention conditions.
In 2016, there were approximately 6440 cases of arrests of Palestinians, including 1332 children. The average daily rate of arrests was 17 per day in 2016. These arrests targeted journalists, members of the Palestinian legislative council, women, human rights defenders, children, as well as university students.
The report addresses the use of psychological and physical torture by Israeli forces, as well as widespread and systematic ill treatment at the period of arrest and during interrogation. The report furthermore highlights the use of “military interrogation”, which involves severe forms of physical and psychological torture, as well as inhumane and degrading treatment prohibited by the Israeli High Court Decision of 1999. Furthermore, the report addresses discriminatory laws passed by the Knesset in 2016 which have exclusively targeted Palestinians, including an amendment to the Juvenile Law which allows custodial sentencing before a child reaches 14 years old.