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Re: Israeli military court extends interrogation Marwan Barghouti...
17 June 2002
Today, an Israeli military court at the Petah Tikva detention center extended the interrogation period of Marwan Barghouti, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, who was arrested on April 13 in Ramallah.
Barghouti has spent twenty two days in solitary confinement in the Petah Tikva detention center where he has been subjected to position abuse and
sleep deprivation. So far, Barghouti has spent 64 days under
interrogation, of which 42 days at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem, and has been deprived of sleep for 17 to 20 hours a day. Despite repeated
protests, Barghouti continues to be held in abusive position for
prolonged hours.
Barghouti's hands and legs are shackled to a small chair, angled to slant forward so that he cannot sit in a stable position. This position abuse, also known as 'shabeh' is the most common method of physical abuse applied by the Israeli intelligence. Like abusive body positioning, sleep
deprivation is a common tactic used by the Israeli intelligence.
Israel is a signatory to the key human rights covenants that address
torture and ill-treatment, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 7) and the Convention against Torture and Other
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Israel is therefore legally bound by these prohibitions.
LAW is gravely concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Marwan Barghouti and calls on the Israeli authorities to guarantee that he is not subjected to any such treatment, that he is allowed access to legal counseling and, and that he is released in the absence of valid legal charges.
More generally, LAW is gravely concerned about the fate of thousands of
Palestinian political prisoners who are still in custody, without charge or trial, often under administrative detention orders which may be renewed indefinitely. There is strong evidence that the majority of those
detained have been arbitrarily detained, and that thousands of
Palestinians have been rounded up, humiliated, ill-treated and held in
poor conditions as a collective punishment.
LAW further calls on the Israeli government to ensure that the rights of
detainees are protected in accordance with international human rights and humanitarian law. Moreover, LAW calls on the international community, in particular the member states of the European Union to ensure Israel's respect for the Fourth Geneva Convention and to live up to their legal obligations.
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LAW - The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the
Environment is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to preserving
human rights through legal advocacy. LAW is affiliate to the
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the International Federation
for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation Organisation Against
Torture (OMCT).
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