Addameer

Enforced Disappearance

addameer — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 13:21:18 +0000

Enforced Disappearance

Since the commencement of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, the occupying state has committed many war crimes and crimes against humanity against the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, including the crime of genocide, widespread destruction of property and infrastructure, and random arrest campaigns, including in the so-called safe passages and shelter centers. In addition to that, the crime of enforced disappearance has escalated since October 7

addameer Sun, 07/07/2024 - 16:21

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https://www.addameer.org/media/5376

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Sunday, July 7, 2024 - 12:00

International Day In Support Of Victims Of Torture.

addameer — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 11:37:39 +0000

International Day In Support Of Victims Of Torture.

26-06-2024

addameer Wed, 06/26/2024 - 14:37

⚠️ The Content Includes Disturbing Scenes!! ⚠️ 📣 Since the comprehensive aggression against the Palestinians began, and the widespread arrest campaigns targeting every Palestinian, the Israeli occupying soldiers have been torturing and abusing Palestinian detainees as an act of revenge. Due to the lack of accountability for the occupying state's crimes over the years, soldiers deliberately document their acts of torture against Palestinian detainees and post these videos and photos on their personal social media accounts to brag about torturing the detainees.

On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture... The occupation practices the harshest forms of torture against detainees from Gaza.

addameer — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 09:35:14 +0000

On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture... The occupation practices the harshest forms of torture against detainees from Gaza.

Over the past decades, Israeli occupation authorities have systematically used torture against prisoners and detainees in their prisons from the very first moments of arrest. Hundreds of prisoners have died in Israeli jails over the years as a result of various forms of torture, without any accountability from relevant international bodies. Recently, with the outbreak of comprehensive aggression against the Palestinian people across all locations and the genocidal war that has spared no one, not even prisoners in prisons, the use of torture has intensified to the harshest and most brutal forms. This increase in torture, especially against detainees from Gaza who were arrested from schools, shelters, and hospitals after the ground invasion by the occupation forces, stems from Israel's longstanding impunity from accountability.

addameer Wed, 06/26/2024 - 12:35

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On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture... The occupation practices the harshest forms of torture against detainees from Gaza.

addameer — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 09:16:56 +0000

On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture... The occupation practices the harshest forms of torture against detainees from Gaza.

addameer Wed, 06/26/2024 - 12:16

26-06-2024

Since the beginning of the genocidal war against Palestinians, approximately 54 martyrs from all Palestinian provinces have died in Israeli occupation prisons due to torture, inhumane detention conditions, systematic abuse, and deliberate attacks. Among them, 36 were prisoners from Gaza and 18 were prisoners martyred in prisons under the Israeli Prison Service. It's worth noting that the occupying state continues to withhold information about the martyr prisoners, as reports have revealed the deaths of dozens of martyrs inside camps and prisons without families knowing the fate of their loved ones or the names of those who have died in these camps. This underscores the scale of the humanitarian disaster faced by prisoners inside these prisons. The situation inside prisons and camps has become increasingly severe due to the punitive policies of the occupation authorities against prisoners and detainees. It is noteworthy that the number of detainees from Gaza and their information remains unknown until now, estimated to be in the thousands.

Detainees from Gaza, specifically, endure extremely harsh and difficult conditions. They are held by the Israeli authorities in camps under military control that are ill-equipped to accommodate this unprecedented number of detainees. These camps include “Sde Teman” camp in Beer Al Sabe’ and “Anatot” camp in Jerusalem. The occupation forces employ various forms of torture against the prisoners, including frequent and deliberate humiliation through forced nudity, keeping them bound hand and foot at all times, using various psychological tactics against them, denying them medical treatment, degrading them through humiliating photography, depriving them of sleep, and releasing police dogs to attack and bite them. Additionally, prisoners are subjected to sexual assaults, provided with extremely poor-quality and minimal food portions, deprived of basic human rights such as clothing, and prevented from bathing for long periods. They also endure extreme temperatures and have their bedding removed in the early hours of the morning, only to be returned after midnight.

Detainee (H.N.) from Gaza recounts to the lawyer who managed to visit him: "I was arrested from a school in Beit Lahia. Soldiers bound me tightly with plastic ties and blindfolded me, then they dragged me by force to a place called the “Barracks”, where severe torture began immediately. They beat me mercilessly all over my head and body. They forced me to sit on my knees on gravel the entire time, increasing my pain. I endured constant verbal abuse and insults. They transferred me to “Petah Tikva”interrogation center where I spent about 130 days subjected to stress positions, severe beating, and torture. Those were the hardest days of my life."

Children from Gaza have not been spared from brutal torture by the occupation soldiers. Child detainee (A.A.) describes his arrest conditions to the lawyer: "When I was arrested, the soldiers stripped off my clothes and left me in only my underwear. Then they brutally beat me, tied me up, and blindfolded me. They started interrogating me in the field, forced me to kneel all night, and then transferred me in the morning to a demolished house where they beat me again. The soldiers put me in a cold refrigerator. Not satisfied, they also whipped me with wires on my back. They ran a knife across my body, and I felt blood running. By the time I arrived at Ofer prison, my feet were bleeding, and I went untreated for three days."

The impunity enjoyed by the occupying state has been one of the primary reasons contributing significantly to the continued and systematic practice of torture in its prisons. This has increased the crime of torture to the extent that dozens of martyrs have risen in prisons without their names or the circumstances of their martyrdom being disclosed.

As a result of the occupying authorities' culture of impunity, their practice of torture and mistreatment has intensified as a form of retaliation against Palestinian detainees, without regard for international legal consequences. The ongoing impunity of the occupying state for these torture crimes implicates the international community as complicit in these acts.

The international community must exert pressure on the occupying state to immediately stop these crimes and fulfill its legal and ethical responsibilities to hold the occupying state accountable for these heinous crimes that do not diminish over time.

Stop the crime of torture.

CALL FOR ACTION!

In light of these grave injustices and countless other violations, Addameer urges all supporters of Palestinian political prisoners to take immediate action. We call on you to address the Israeli Commander of the Central Region, who bears responsibility for the atrocities committed against Gazan prisoners, as well as your own national representatives. Demand the immediate cessation of these crimes against Palestinian prisoners by using the following text in your emails:

“To the Israeli Commander of the Central Region:

The crime of subjecting Palestinian detainees to torture, ill-treatment, and abuse by the IOF constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. You bear full legal responsibility for these actions.

In the past eight months, 36 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip have died within the military camps due to severe beatings, torture, ill-treatment, and medical neglect. These detainees continue to face policies of starvation, thirst, and deprivation of basic rights. The enforced disappearance of these detainees is a violation of international law. Information about the identities, whereabouts, and conditions of these detainees is withheld from the public, human rights organizations, and their family members, alongside the denial of access to legal counsel.

I demand an immediate cessation of the crimes of torture and ill-treatment against Palestinian prisoners. You should be well aware that you will be subject to legal accountability for perpetrating this crime.”

The message should be sent to the email: [[email protected]">[email protected]]

Aisha Hilal Muhaisin

addameer — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 10:29:08 +0000

Aisha Hilal Muhaisin

addameer Tue, 06/11/2024 - 13:29

Arrest:

The dawn of April 4th was not an ordinary morning in the life of detainee Aisha Muhaisin. She woke up to a call from her brother, telling her that the Israeli army was at their house asking for her. Within five minutes, the occupation army was at her door, knocking forcefully. As soon as her husband opened the door, the soldiers stormed in, asking for Aisha. They allowed her to change her clothes before arresting her amidst the cries of her children, who were awake at the time. Once she stepped out of the house, they handcuffed her hands in front with plastic cuffs and shackled her feet upon reaching the military jeep. She was arrested without being allowed to say goodbye to her five children.

When Aisha got into the military jeep, she learned that her sister had also been arrested. They were taken together to a camp near the village until morning, both with their hands bound. Aisha sat on an iron chair the entire time, and they were not given any food or water. Every soldier who entered the room cursed and insulted them in Arabic. In the morning, they were transferred to Ofer for interrogation. Aisha was interrogated for an hour and a half, with her hands and feet bound the entire time, without providing her with water or food. After the interrogation, she was transferred to Hasharon Prison. Upon arrival, she underwent a thorough search, was shackled hand and foot, and placed in a cell with her sister. Their mother was also in the cell, having been arrested two days before them.

In the Hasharon Prison cell, the three of them – the two sisters and their mother – were reunited under inhumane conditions. There was nothing in the cell except for cameras. In the evening, they were provided with only one mattress and one blanket. After spending five days in Hasharon without any yard time, where they remained in the cell for 24 hours a day, Aisha and her sister were transferred to Damon Prison. Later, her sister Aina’ was released under conditions, as was her mother. Aisha remains in prison to this day, being tried on charges of incitement.

Detained on Charges of Incitement: Collective Punishment for Relatives of Palestinian Martyrs:

Words such as "May God have mercy on you" and "God bless your soul" for martyrs have become, in the eyes of the occupation, incitement to violence and terrorism, with the writers of these words being arrested for many months or even years. These words, along with posting pictures of her martyred brother on her Facebook page, were the reasons for Aisha Muhaisin's arrest on April 4, 2024, and for trying her before the military court on charges of incitement to violence and supporting terrorism. Aisha is the sister of martyr "Ahmed Ghithan," who was killed on July 6, 2023. Additionally, her sister "Aina’ Ghithan" and her mother "Khadra Ghithan" were arrested during the same period but were later released under conditions. Her brothers, Abdul Hadi and Suleiman Ghithan, remain detained by the occupation on the same charges of incitement.

Since October 7, 2023, the campaigns of arrests carried out by the occupation forces have escalated due to posts made on social media. Claims of incitement have been used as a pretext by the occupation to arrest the entire Palestinian community, especially since the beginning of the genocide being committed against Palestinians in Gaza. The military prosecutor of the occupation bases its decisions against Palestinians on charges of incitement under Articles 251 and 199(c) of Military Order No. 1651 of 2009. The issue with this order lies in the vague definitions related to posts of praise, support, or encouragement. These terms are so broad that they give the military judge and prosecutor wide discretion to interpret them as incitement. This has extended to phrases of mercy and condolences for martyrs, viewing them as incitement and stripping them of their humanitarian context, despite being expressions of grief commonly used by Palestinians who have lost loved ones.

Aisha is now awaiting her sentence for expressing condolences for her martyred brother. She lives in prison, away from her five children who are now without their mother. She fears giving birth in prison amid the harsh conditions faced by female prisoners, with no consideration for her humanitarian or health conditions as a pregnant woman.

Motherhood in Chains, and an Unborn Child Awaiting Shackles

Aisha is a mother of five children and is seven months pregnant. Her eldest child is twelve-year-old Malak, who hid under her bed in fear when she saw the occupation army storming their home and arresting her mother. Her youngest is four-year-old Luqman, who clung to the edge of his mother's cloak with tears in his eyes as she was taken away. In between are eleven-year-old Adnan, nine-year-old Miral, and eight-year-old Othman. Aisha's husband says that her absence has significantly affected the children and their mental state. Every day, Malak looks through her phone at pictures of her mother with falling tears. Luqman constantly calls out "Mama," unable to comprehend her absence and arrest. The family is now living with the pain of their mother’s forced absence due to her arrest, as described by the father who is trying to fill both parental roles. The entire family deeply misses Aisha and yearns to hear her voice echo through the house. However, these children have yet to understand that there are those who can strip away motherhood just as they strip away life and everything else.

On the other hand, Aisha is suffering from being separated from her family and fears that she might give birth in prison. She is seven months pregnant. During a visit to Damon Prison, where she is detained, she described the harsh conditions faced by female prisoners. These conditions include a lack of food and essential supplies, mistreatment, and abuse, especially since October 7th, when a fierce campaign against prisoners intensified, depriving them of the most basic human necessities.

Aisha spoke about the difficult circumstances she endures as a pregnant woman, with no adequate medical care or regular check-ups to monitor her health and the health of her unborn baby. The prison administration has only provided her with a blood sugar test, which was conducted a few days before her lawyer's visit. Besides, the poor quality and quantity of food adversely affect her and her baby's health. She also hasn't received any supplements or vitamins essential for pregnant women throughout her pregnancy because the prison administration does not provide them.

Last Update

11-06-2024

Brief on detention campaigns carried out in the West Bank since October 7 until May 8, 2024.

addameer — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 09:33:49 +0000

Brief on detention campaigns carried out in the West Bank since October 7 until May 8, 2024.

addameer Wed, 06/05/2024 - 12:33

08-05-2024

This brief includes only those who got arrested from the West Bank, while detainees from Gaza are still being subjected to enforced disappearance

The total number of arrests stands at (8640) in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Women: the total number of female arrests stands at (290), including women arrested from the lands occupied in 1948, in addition to Gazan women who have been arrested in the West Bank.

Children: the number of children arrests stands at (610).

Journalists: (75) journalists have been arrested, (48) of them are still under arrest, (21) sentenced to administrative detention and (12) Gazan detainees are victims of enforced disappearance.

More than (5900) orders of administrative detention have been issued since October 7, ranging between new orders and renewals, including orders against children and women.

Detention campaigns carried out since October 7 are accompanied by escalated crimes and violations such as humiliation, brutal beatings, threats against detainees and their families, besides the vandalism and destruction of detainees’ houses, confiscating vehicles, gold and money, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure especially in the refugee camps of Tulkarem and Jenin.

Statistics include detainees who were arrested from their houses, on checkpoints, who surrendered themselves and those who were arrested as hostages.

Besides the detention campaigns, the Israeli forces implemented field executions, afflicting detainees and their family members.

(18) detainees martyred in Israeli prisons and military camps since the 7th of October: The identity of one Palestinian is yet to be disclosed, as the only available information indicates that he is a resident of Gaza. The remaining are: Thaier Abu Asab from Qalqilia, 38, detained in Al Naqab prison and passed away on 19 November 2023. Abdul Rahman Mar’ii, from Salfit, father of four, detained at Megiddo Prison and passed away on 14 November 2023. Omar Daraghmeh from Tubas, 58, detained at Megiddo Prison and died on 23 October 2023. Arafat Hamdan from Ramallah, 25, died on 24 October 2023, just two days after being arrested and detained at Megiddo Prison. Majed Zaqool from Gaza, 32, detained at Ofar Prison, died on 6 November 2023. Abdul Rahman Al-Bahsh from Nablus, 23, passed away on 1 January 2024 while detained at Megiddo Prison. Ezz al-Din Ziyad Abdul-Banna, 40, a Palestinian from Gaza who was detained at Al-Ramlah Prison. Mohammad Ahmad Ratib Al-Sabar from Hebron, 21, who died on 8 February 2024 , while held at Ofer Prison. Khalid Musa Jamal al-Shawish from Tubas, 53, held in Nafha Prison and passed away on 21 February 2024. Asif Rifaii from Ramallah, 21, who was sick with cancer and held at Al-Ramlah prison, died on 29 February 2024. Ahmad Qadeh, 78, a Palestinian from Gaza who was held in an unknown military camp and passed away 1 March 2024. Jumaa Abu Ghneim, 26, a prisoner in Eshel prison and passed away on 16 March 2024. Muhammad Tareq Abu Sinnah from Jerusalem, 16, he was martyred at Hadassah Hospital, succumbing to the injuries he sustained on 11/2/2024, when he was arrested at the moment of his injury. Walid Daqqa that passed away due to medical negligence on the 7th of April 2024 in Ramleh prison. Abdul Rahman Amr from Qalqilya that passed away due to medical negligence on April 13, 2024. Dr. Adnan Barsh from Gaza. Ismail Khader from Gaza whose body was released back into Gaza alongside other living prisoners.

It is said that the corpses of (18) detainees who were martyred after October 7 are still withheld, among (27) martyrs.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli media revealed information that indicates the martyrdom of tens of detainees from Gaza in military camps, while the occupation authorities refused to reveal their identities. Moreover, they acknowledged the execution of many detainees.

Statistics on detention cases includes detainees who are still under arrest and liberated ones

Data does not include detention cases of Gaza, due to the occupation’s refusal to give any information and the continuation of practicing the crime of enforced disappearance against them. It is worth mentioning that the occupation forces arrested hundreds of Gazan workers in the West Bank, in addition to citizens from Gaza who were previously in the West Bank for medical treatment.

Detainees’ Institutions ( Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, Palestinian Society Prisoner’s Club, Addameer Association for Human Rights )

Urgent Call to Declare Gaza a Famine-Stricken Area.

addameer — Thu, 30 May 2024 07:36:37 +0000

Urgent Call to Declare Gaza a Famine-Stricken Area.

addameer Thu, 05/30/2024 - 10:36

30-05-2024

We the undersigned Civil Society Organizations and Coalitions, considering the ongoing genocide in Gaza for more than seven months, the people of Gaza are suffering from severe food shortages, a continuous decline in nutrition levels, widespread malnutrition among children, and increased mortality rates due to diseases caused by hunger and malnutrition, along with the difficulty of accessing medical and healthcare services. Additionally, the environmental pollution resulting from the destruction of sewage systems, the inability of municipalities to remove waste, the presence of thousands of bodies under the rubble, and the weak humanitarian response and provision of necessary aid to those in need.

The destruction of infrastructure and the fuel shortage have led to a significant halt in sanitation and waste disposal services, resulting in the spread of waste and sewage without proper disposal methods. With rising temperatures, the spread of diseases and epidemics has become a reality among Palestinians in the sector. Furthermore, the Civil Defense in Gaza suffers from a severe lack of resources, equipment, and personnel, preventing them from clearing rubble and retrieving bodies.

According to international humanitarian law and international human rights law, causing famine as a military tactic against civilians is prohibited. Article 54 of the First Additional Protocol to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1977 affirms the protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, prohibiting the attack, destruction, removal, or rendering useless of such objects, including foodstuffs, agricultural areas, crops, livestock, drinking water installations, and irrigation works if the purpose is to starve civilians or to force them to move or for any other motive.

Similarly, Article 14 of the Second Additional Protocol to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1977 prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and prohibits attacks on, destruction of, removal of, or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.

Article 6 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court states that any act committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group as such, constitutes genocide. Furthermore, Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, and obliges states to take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right.

The act of causing famine and destroying life-sustaining resources in Gaza also violates the interim measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, thus opening the possibility for prosecuting those responsible or delaying the delivery of aid before the International Criminal Court. The actions and policies imposed by the Israeli occupation on the people of Gaza place it in a position of criminal responsibility due to its actions that have created conditions such as direct attacks on vital installations or imposing a blockade to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching the population.

The Famine Review Committee in its March 2024 report concluded that famine is likely unless there is an immediate cessation of hostilities, unrestricted access to food, water, and medicines, protection of civilians, and restoration of health services, clean water, sanitation, energy, and electricity for the population. Since March, hostilities against civilians have continued, and despite the arrival of some relief aid to northern provinces, it remains insufficient to deal with ongoing hunger.

We, the undersigned, call on the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to immediately declare Gaza a famine-stricken area due to famine, environmental pollution, and the spread of diseases. The United Nations and the Palestinian Authority must adopt this declaration and coordinate global and local efforts in partnership with Palestinian civil society to develop an immediate plan to address these impacts, elevate emergency relief levels for citizens in the sector, and push toward accountability and prosecution of the occupation for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

We call on all organizations, movements, human rights defenders, and supporters to sign this petition to urge the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to declare Gaza a famine-stricken area and take the necessary measures to protect its inhabitants.

Long live the struggles of the Palestinian people! Long live a free and proud Gaza!

Ramallah, May 23, 2024

Signatory Palestinian Organizations and Movements:

Palestinian NGO’s Network (PNGO) - Civil Action Coordination Council - Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council - Medical Association - Jerusalem Center - Engineers Association - Jerusalem Center - Palestinian Journalists Syndicate - Veterinarians Syndicate - Agricultural Engineers Association - Palestinian Bar Association - Palestinian Education Coalition - Bisan Center for Research and Development - Palestinian Agricultural Relief Coalition (PARC) - Addameer prisoner support and human rights association - The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy – MIFTAH - Land Research Centre - Al-Haq - Union of Agricultural Work Committees - The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development - The Palestinian Center for Agricultural Development (ACAD) - Maan Development Center - Applied Research Institute – Arij - Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of torture - The Palestinian Center for Independence of Lawyers and Jury- Musawah - Burj Laqlaq - Teacher Creativity Center Association - Defense for Children International- Palestine - Yafa Cultural Center - Economic & Social Development Center of Palestine - Palestinian Medical Relief Society - Center for Defense of Liberties & Civil Rights (Hurryyat) - Afkar for Educational and Cultural Development - Health Work Committees - Association of Women's Committees for Social Work - Psychosocial- social Counseling Center for Women - The Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling - Women's Studies Center - Qader for Community Development - Palestinian Popular Resistance - Palestinian Center for Human Rights - The Civic Commission for Independence of Jury - The National Association for Rehabilitation - Gaza program for Psychological health - The Association of Union of Palestinian Womens Committees - Womens Affairs Center - Al-Najdah Social Association - Haider Abd Alhsafi Center for Culture and Development - Gaza Urban Agriculture Platform - Community Development and Media Center - Palestinian Counseling Center - Disabilities Representative Persons Network - Center for Womens Legal Research and Consulting - Altaghreed Association for Culture and Development - Abd Shafi Association for Health and Society - Tadamon Charity Association - Palestinian Hydrology Group - AlAhli Association for Development of Dates and Palm - Palestinian Center of Organic Agriculture - Ma'an Development Center/Gaza - The Culture and Free Thought Association - Palestinian Developmental Women Studies Association - The Palestinian Institute for Communication and Development - Al-Foukhary Association For Development and Culture - Al Sattar Garbee Association for Developing Countryside and Farmer - The Society of Women Graduates in Gaza Strip - Central Blood Bank Society - Gaza Culture & Development Group - Palestinian Commission for Mental Health - Ertigaa Association for Community Development - Tulkarm Cooperative Society for Handicrafts - International Commission to support Palestinian People’s Rights - Palestinian Al-Nakheel Association for progress and development - The Society for Care of the Handicapped - Women's Action Association for the Rehabilitation of Women and Children - Hanan for Culture and Social Development Association - Arab Agronomists Association - Al Ferdaus Association for Woman and Child Development - The Palestinian New Federation of Trade Unions - Baitona For Community Development - Mashareq Charity Association for Development and Improvement - Science and Cultural Center - Agricultural Development Association - Filastiniyat - Mothers School Association - -

International Coalitions and Organizations:

The Peasants Movement, La Via Campesina - People’s Health Movement - Viva Salud Organization - Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid - Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign - Jordanian coalition for education - The Arab Community Movement for Teaching and Learning - Sheffield Palestine Cultural Exchange - GRAIN - Naripokkho - Student Government Food Security Agency at UT Austin - Sheffield Jews Against Israeli Apartheid - Marcha Mundial de las mujeres, Región Americas - International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India) - World March of Women - The Groundwork Movement - Tierra Nativa - Alliance pour le Déménagement Durable et pour l'Environnement (ADDE) - Stoke Palestine Solidarity Campaign - Khulumani Support Group - TU Delft 4 Palestine - Confédération paysanne - B

ICC Prosecutor Completely Neglects to Mention the Crimes Committed Against Palestinian Prisoners in Arrest Warrants for Israeli Officials

addameer — Wed, 22 May 2024 10:49:40 +0000

ICC Prosecutor Completely Neglects to Mention the Crimes Committed Against Palestinian Prisoners in Arrest Warrants for Israeli Officials

On May 20, 2024, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that he had requested arrest warrants for two high-profile Israeli officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant. The Prosecutor stated that he had reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza from at least October 8, 2023. The decision made by the ICC Prosecutor to hold Israeli officials accountable for their crimes marks a significant step towards ending decades of impunity for crimes committed in occupied Palestine. This decision underscores the importance of international justice in addressing long standing oppressions and human rights violations.

addameer Wed, 05/22/2024 - 13:49

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Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - 12:00

ICC Prosecutor Completely Neglects to Mention the Crimes Committed Against Palestinian Prisoners in Arrest Warrants for Israeli Officials

addameer — Wed, 22 May 2024 10:41:01 +0000

ICC Prosecutor Completely Neglects to Mention the Crimes Committed Against Palestinian Prisoners in Arrest Warrants for Israeli Officials

addameer Wed, 05/22/2024 - 13:41

22-05-2024

ICC Prosecutor Completely Neglects to Mention the Crimes Committed Against Palestinian Prisoners in Arrest Warrants for Israeli Officials.pdf

Addameer welcomes the decision of the ICC Prosecutor's Office; however, substantial efforts are still required to achieve comprehensive justice and hold Israeli officials fully accountable for their crimes. The commission of crimes by Israeli citizens and officials far predates October 8, 2023. Since the Nakba in 1948 during which 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes, and never allowed to return, Palestinians have been victims of international crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Despite the importance of this decision, the Prosecutor completely neglected the crimes committed against Palestinian prisoners. He did not address at all the violations committed against Palestinian prisoners for many years, which have significantly escalated after October 7.

Given that the ICC has jurisdiction over the crimes committed in Occupied Palestine since June 2014, we strongly encourage the Prosecutors' office to investigate and prosecute crimes committed since this date while taking into account the violations of Palestinians' rights which have been committed during a broader timeframe dating back to 1948.

Over the past decades, Addameer has extensively documented crimes committed against Palestinian detainees, all of which fall under the crimes listed by the Prosecutor such as starvation, wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health, or cruel treatment, and especially persecution as a crime against humanity. Addameer has previously submitted communications to the prosecutors office back in 2019, including a comprehensive report to the ICC in 2022 on the situation in the state of Palestine and the occupation’s detention centers. These crimes include but are not limited to torture as a war crime (Article 8.2.a.ii) and as a crime against humanity (Article 7.1.f) imprisonment in violations of fair trial guarantees as a war crime (Article 8.2.a.vi) and a crime against humanity (Article 7.1.e), murder as a war crime (Article 8.2.a.i) and enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity (Article 7.1.i). These crimes have also been documented by United Nations Special Rapporteurs such as the UNSPR on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese in her report on the arbitrary deprivation of liberty in the occupied Palestinian Territories.

Over the past decades, the Israeli occupation authorities have built a judicial system dedicated to control, criminalize and collectively punish Palestinians. Since 1967, the Israeli occupation uses military courts to prosecute Palestinians without due process, fair trial guarantees, transparency, and with the systematic recourse to torture during interrogation. These courts have often been and are continuing to practice systemic discrimination and legal apartheid against Palestinians and serve as a tool for perpetuating oppression and maintaining control over the occupied Palestine. One of the main tools of the Israeli military court system is administrative detention, a procedure under which detainees are held without charge or trial, and which can be renewed indefinitely. This has allowed Israeli occupation forces to quickly and massively arbitrarily arrest Palestinians after October 7, 2023. Since that date, over 8,800 Palestinians have been arrested and 5,900 administrative detention orders have been issued. In addition to the fact that 18 prisoners were martyred within the Israeli prison walls and detention centers since October 7 due to the increased torture and deliberate medical negligence policy and their bodies are still illegally being withheld.

Addameer also documented a worrying increase in the acts of torture committed against Palestinian detainees since the beginning of the genocide. Palestinians are systematically victim of torture and mistreatments during their arrest, interrogation, and while in detention. Detention conditions are deteriorating, including with the provision of extremely poor food portions, forcing detainees to sleep in very cold cells, overcrowding of cells, and detainees having to sleep on the floor. Palestinian detainees are subjected to beatings multiple times a day, sometimes until loss of consciousness, forced to stay in stress positions, threatened, including with death, sexual violence, or threats on their families, and regularly strip searched.

Addameer has also recently documented outrages upon personal dignity against Palestinian detainees, in particular humiliating and degrading treatments against detainees from Gaza, forcing them to bark, to curse themselves, and guards scooping food with their hands before giving it to prisoners. Addameer is particularly worried about children detainees who are not protected from such violence, including extreme beatings, threats and humiliating treatments.

Israeli nationals committing crimes against Palestinian detainees are never prosecuted by the Israeli occupation authorities. According to the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), more than 1,400 complaints of torture were submitted to the what so called Israeli Ministry of “Justice” since 2001 and all the cases were closed without a single indictment.^{^[1]} Such was the case with two detainee cases; Samir Arbeed and the case of rape committed against female detainee S.Sh during a search led by Israeli officers. Both cases were closed by Israeli courts due to the failure to investigate the Israeli authorities and perpetrators responsible for the horrible crimes and torture committed against them.

Addameer strongly encourages the Office of the Prosecutor to investigate the aforementioned crimes and issue arrest warrants for those responsible, including Israeli military commanders in the OPT for their role in issuing administrative detention orders and other superiors (Article 28, Rome Statute). Ben Gvir, as the Minister of National Security, Kobi Yaakobi, and Katy Perry, respectively the current and former heads of the Israeli Prison Service (IPS), all prison directors, and other members of the IPS administration should be thoroughly investigated. In addition, Israeli military judges and prosecutors should be investigated for their complicit actions in the military courts and their failure to investigate complaints of torture and human rights violations, as well as the head of the security service for his responsibility for the torture practiced during interrogations. Failing to investigate and prosecute Israeli perpetrators of such crimes will only reinforce injustice and the system of complete impunity created by the occupying state.

^{^[1]} Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Torture in Israel, Situation report 2022

THE BRUTAL AND DEGRADING TREATMENT OF DETAINEES IN GAZA: IT WAS NOT CONFINED TO A SPECIFIC PRISON.

addameer — Sun, 12 May 2024 12:31:35 +0000

THE BRUTAL AND DEGRADING TREATMENT OF DETAINEES IN GAZA: IT WAS NOT CONFINED TO A SPECIFIC PRISON.

Addameer has been monitoring since the beginning of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip the wide-ranging arrest campaigns conducted by the occupying forces during the ongoing ground incursion. These arrest campaigns have been accompanied by several legal amendments that have allowed for the practice of enforced disappearance, as well as the brutal and dignity-stripping treatment that has led to the death of dozens of detainees in recent months.

addameer Sun, 05/12/2024 - 15:31

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Link

https://www.addameer.org/news/5350

Date

Sunday, May 12, 2024 - 12:00