Israeli Military Court Admits Use of Torture Against Palestinian Prisoners, Jailers Deny Them Medical Treatment

Israeli military court, for first time, admits use of torture against prisoner

[ 05/12/2011 - 12:46 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)--

The illegal Israeli military court of Ofer admitted that the illegal Israeli occupation government interrogation officers from the Shin Bet and the police tortured a Palestinian detainee to force him to make fake confessions to charges he had nothing to do with it.

According to a report issued by the ministry of prisoners' affairs in the West Bank, this court approved the acquittal of detainee Ayman Hamida, a 37-year old young man from Izariya area in occupied Jerusalem of the accusations made against him by the Israeli prosecution.

The court acknowledged that the interrogation means used by the officers for about two months in Ashkelon jail against the prisoner were illegal.

The Shin Bet filed an indictment against the prisoner involving accusations of possession of weapons, participation in an armed group and attempted murder.

The lawyer hired by the ministry of prisoner's affairs in the West Bank refuted all the allegations made against the prisoner and accused the Israeli intelligence of extracting confessions from the prisoner under physical and psychological torture. After the Israeli court heard the testimonies of police and Shin Bet officers, many violent practices against the Palestinian prisoner were vindicated and thus it accepted the statement of the detainee about torturing him and ordered his release.

Lawyer Tareq Barghout said that prisoner Hamdia suffers from a neurological disorder and was exposed to excruciating physical torture by Israeli interrogators who also prevented him from taking his medication and threatened him to arrest his family, adding that they did kidnap one of his brothers to pressure him.

The lawyer noted that such Israeli court decision was one of its kind especially by a military court and considered an explicit recognition of the use of torture and illegal means against Palestinian prisoners to extract false confessions.

Israeli jailers deny Palestinian prisoner medical treatment

[ 05/12/2011 - 12:13 PM ]

JENIN, (PIC)--

The family of Palestinian prisoner Safi Houshiya, sentenced to 35 years in jail, said the prison administration refuses to provide him with medical treatment and held it fully responsible for his life.

The Palestinian prisoner society said the lawyer of Houshiya visited him in Shata jail to check on his health and found the prisoner suffers from blood poisoning and severe allergies.

The prisoner told the lawyer that since the onset of symptoms in his body in 2005, he had made dozens of requests for treatment, but the prison administration kept procrastinating.

He added in case any doctor visits him, the prison administration refuses to do his medical recommendations.

In a separate incident, The European network to support the rights of Palestinian prisoners-UFree said the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) still prevents the families of 20 exiled ex-detainees who were released as part of the swap deal with Hamas Movement from traveling to Gaza, Qatar and Turkey to see them.

UFree stated that the Israeli police at crossings told those families, mostly women, elderly people and children, that they cannot travel for security reasons, although they met all travel requirements and have no security issues.

UFree appealed to Egypt and Germany as the sponsors of the prisoner swap deal, to intervene with Israel and pressure it to respect the terms of the deal and let the families visit their relatives in exile.

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