Prisoner Society: more than 2,000 cases of torture in Israeli prison during past year

26.10.09 - 15:31

Ramallah / PNN – President of the Palestinian Prisoner Society, Qaddura Fares, reported today that during the past year there have been more than 2,000 cases of torture in Israeli prison.

The Israeli administration has exerted, and continues to do so, violence, beatings, and physical and psychological torture against Palestinians, said Fares on Monday. He described daily evidence of the “barbarism of the occupation forces against prisoners.”

Among the thousands is Majid Rantis who has been detained since 18 September 2001. He was sentenced by an Israeli military court to 15 years.

According to a document drafted by a lawyer of the Prisoner Society, Rantis was interrogated for 70 days during which time he was beaten, held in solitary confinement and deprived of sleep. The man finally lost his left eye due to one of the beatings and underwent surgery on 6 July 2005. It was acknowledged that his loss of sight was a result of the beatings.

A PPS lawyer also reported on Fares Awad from Aroura Village who was beaten in such a way as to cause problems with the main artery of his heart.

He was arrested on 26 June 2006 and sentenced by a military court to four and a half years in Israeli prison. Awad arrived in good health, having even been granted a checkup by the prison doctor upon arrival. After five months in Ofer Prison he was taken to the Russian Compound for investigation where he was blindfolded, handcuffed, and beaten.

During the some odd 70 days of ongoing interrogation, a blow to the chest led to a loss of consciousness. Awad was taken to Hadassah Hospital, Ein Karem, on 29 June 2006 where he was not given a diagnosis.

He later was transferred to Mount Scopus and then to Ashkelon where he is suffering several problems, including a rise in temperature. He was taken to a clinic there where he was given Akamol, common headache reliever. After his condition worsened Awad was given other drugs, but began to suffer from liver problems. He now can no longer walk.

The case files continue with lists of victims who have spent long stretches of time in tiny spaces or tied to school chairs. The Israeli government is one of the few world wide that openly advocates interrogation methods considered torture by international standards.