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Torture
in Palestinian prisons and detention centers:
The Palestinian security
forces are still using torture on a wide scale against Palestinian
detainees. The PHRMG concluded this in its report on torture that
was based on and supported by 70 testimonies collected during the first
six months of 1998. This chapter is a brief summary of that report.
During an
official meeting with one of the human rights organizations, one General
Intelligence (GI) officer said: “many methods are used while interrogating
detainees, such as sleep deprivation, standing for long hours, forbidding
cigarette smoking, etc. we use mental methods to extract information. Do
you suggest any other methods to interrogate and extract information from
suspects?”
The
philosophy behind torture is to destroy a prisoner by using methods that
leave no trace on his body. Torture methods that are used can be divided
into two categories:
- Physical torture:
includes direct beating, continuous Shabeh in its various positions,
exposure to cold and hot water and air currents, strangling, cigarette
and plastic burning on the detainee’s body, depravation of food, drink
and sleep. Other extreme methods were also used such as covering the
detainee’s body with jam on a hot day, and leaving him under the burning
sun for long hours, or trying to insert batons in his anus.
- Mental torture:
includes solitary confinement for long periods of time, threatening a
detainee to violate his sister or wife, terrorizing the detainee in many
ways such as placing a recording of someone screaming in the next room,
or beating the detainee severely so that he would scream and terrify
other detainees.
Over 98% of
the people we met said that they had been exposed to more than one kind of
mental or physical pressure. About 66% of them were exposed to severe
beating, and 73% of them said that they have been victims of painful and
unbearable Shabeh positions. Furthermore, about 86% of them experienced
solitary confinement, and 44% suffered food, drink, and sleep deprivation.
Through the
different documented cases we collected, we realized that most victims
were tortured without taking their health or life into consideration. From
the 70 cases we have, 41 cases were physically injured during
interrogation, and 13 suffered from illnesses prior to their arrests, and
their health conditions were not taken into consideration while using the
various kinds of torture against them.
Most, if not
all of the detainees we met said that they did not receive a medical
examination before they were arrested and interrogated:
“A proper
medical examination shall be offered to a detained or imprisoned person as
promptly as possible after his admission to the place of detention or
imprisonment, and thereafter medical care and treatment shall be provided
whenever necessary. This care and treatment shall be provided free of
charge.”
(Principle 24
from the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any
Form of Detention or Imprisonment)
Detainees
were not injured by a particular security force during their
interrogation. Most injuries were inflicted by the Preventive Security
Service (PSS) and the GI. The types of injuries were about 25, including
serious and moderate ones. Out of the 70 cases, 16 needed to be
transferred to hospitals and clinics. Three cases had to undergo surgery
after being released, one of which was a brain surgery. Three other cases
suffered partial paralysis.
Testimony under Oath
Citizen
M.M.B. from a village north of the West Bank, a worker in Israel, and
father of two children, testified to the following, under oath:
On 17 April,
1998, I received a written summon to report to the GI headquarters in a
city north of the West Bank. On the morning of the following day, I went
to said place. My ID, my wallet, my belt, and my shoelaces were
confiscated, and I was taken to a room. Half an hour later I was taken
into the interrogation room, where six or seven interrogators were. One of
them asked me to sit on a chair, and I did. I was asked about my social
life. One interrogator accused me of throwing stones at J.H.B.’s house.
The interrogator told me that I better confess. I denied the charges and
told them that my relationship with my uncle is very good. I told them
that my uncle’s house was under stone attacks many times, while I was at
my work in Israel. They did not believe me, and they took me to a nearby
room. They asked me to stand against the wall with my hands up and legs
wide open. They placed a bag over my head, and I was beaten with a stick
on my behind and then on my head. I asked them to stop and told them that
I was sick, but they did not. I was beaten for ten minutes, and then taken
to another room and left there for 6 hours. In the afternoon, I was taken
to the interrogation room again, before another interrogator. The latter
asked me to confess, but I did not. One of his assistants took me to one
corner in the room and beat me with his fists for five minutes. A third
interrogator arrived. He also asked me to confess, but I did not. They
took me to another room and placed a stinking bag over my head. I was
slapped many times and beaten on my head and waist. I was ordered to stay
standing with my head against the wall, with my hands up and legs wide
open. A few minutes later, one of them came and took the bag off my head,
and took me to the clinic. There, a doctor dressed in plainclothes, who
was supposedly a professional at taking urine samples, took over two
liters of urine from me. I told him that I was beaten, and he let me sleep
in the clinic. In the morning, I was taken to the interrogation room
again. Seven men were there, and each of them took his turn in beating me
up all over my body. Minutes later, I was taken to a nearby room, and I
was asked to confess so that they would let me go. He beat me hard with
his fist on my head. I felt unconscious and lost my hearing. One of them
took my finger and placed my fingerprints on pledge documents. The
interrogators returned my belongings and asked me to go home. This was on
19 April.
After the
incident, I went to see many doctors because I was dizzy all the time. I
went through scull surgery on 18 May. A blood clot was removed from under
the bone. Until today, I cannot move freely.
The costs of
the operation were over 2,000 Jordanian Dinars, including 1,000 Dinars for
treatment and transportation.
The surgery
took place at Nablus Ittihad Hospital.
Deaths in Custody
Nasser
al-Hurub:
Nasser (28,
married and father to 5 children, from Deir Samet – Hebron) died at two in
the morning on 3 February 1998, at the police station in Dura, after being
tortured by the police there. Nasser was arrested at nine in the evening
on 2 February by two police officers from the criminal department in Dura.
The two officers arrived at his home, and asked him to accompany them to
the station for an hour. At 2:15 in the morning of 3 February, Nasser was
taken to a doctor because he suffered bleeding from his nose, mouth, and
ears. Following the examination, the doctor announced his death. Nasser
was a gold merchant. His family believes that he was killed for financial
reasons. They assured that Nasser was in perfect condition health wise,
and he had no relations with the Oppostion, and he was never on bad terms
with the PNA. Head of the Hebron police Tareq Zeid, said that Nasser was
found with a shoestring tied around his neck. President Arafat ordered
that an investigation committee be formed to look into the case. The
autopsy on the body was performed at al-Hussein hospital in Beit Jala.
Later on, and at the request of his family, a second autopsy was performed
in the presence of a doctor from the Hurub family’s side. The autopsy
results were never released.
Walid
al-Qawasmeh:
Walid (45,
from Hebron, married and father to 8 children, had an insurance office in
Bethlehem) died on 9 August 1998. He was arrested by the GI in Hebron on
27 July 1998, and transferred to the GI headquarters in Jericho three days
later.
On Friday 7
August 1998 (11 days following his arrest), his family visited him in
jail. His health was deteriorating. He told his family: “I am innocent,
buy me out of here.” (Al-Rissalah Newspaper: 13 August 1998)
On 9 August
1998 in the morning, Walid was taken to hospital in Jericho. Suffering
from high fever (almost 41 degrees centigrade). He was transferred to
Rafidia hospital in Nablus because his condition was critical. However,
Walid died before he arrived.
According to
a testimony submitted to the PHRMG by one of the persons who performed the
autopsy, the cause of death was severe hemorrhage in the brain and a
fractured scull, due to severe beating on the head. The GI announced,
through the media, that the cause of death was severe heat. The family of
the deceased told the PHRMG that the signs of torture appeared all over
Walid’s body while they were washing him. The District Prosecutor in
Jericho decided to form an investigation committee. Head of GI Amin
al-Hindi said that the investigation is still on, and any person charged
is going to be presented before a court of law. Al-Hindi added: “regarding
the current investigation, everyone suspected of being involved in the
murder was turned over to the military prosecutor. If we have proof that
there is anyone involved in the death of Abu Nidal, a severe punishment
will be in order. We will protect no one.”
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