RAMALLAH: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since Oct 7 face waterboarding, sleep deprivation, electric shocks, the release of dogs on them, and other forms of torture and mistreatment.
The report said Israel’s prison service held more than 9,400 “security detainees” as of the end of June, and some have been held in secret without access to lawyers, or respect for their legal rights.
Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported that a summary of the report, based on interviews with former detainees and other sources, decried a “staggering” number of detainees — including men, women, children, journalists and human rights defenders — and said such practices raise concerns about arbitrary detention.
“The testimonies gathered by my office and other entities indicate a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees, amongst other acts, in flagrant violation of international human rights and international humanitarian laws,” said UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk in a statement.
A summary of the report mentioned: “Detainees said they were held in cage-like facilities, stripped naked for prolonged periods, wearing only diapers. Their testimonies told of prolonged blindfolding, deprivation of food, sleep and water, and being subjected to electric shocks and being burnt with cigarettes.
“Some detainees said dogs were released on them, and others said they were subjected to waterboarding, or that their hands were tied and they were suspended from the ceiling.
“Some women and men also spoke of sexual and gender-based violence,” said the report.
Türk stressed that international humanitarian law protects all detainees and requires that they be treated humanely and protected from all acts of violence and threats of violence.
“International law requires all persons deprived of their liberty to be treated with humanity and dignity, and strictly prohibits torture or other ill-treatments, including rape and sexual violence,” he said in the statement. – Bernama, WAFA
