Palestinian Authority routinely tortures detainees, says rights group | Palestinian territories

Palestinian authorities within the West Financial institution and the Gaza Strip systematically torture critics in detention, a follow that would quantity to crimes in opposition to humanity, a global rights group has mentioned.

In its report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) referred to as for donor international locations to chop off funding to Palestinian safety forces that commit such crimes and urged the worldwide prison courtroom to analyze.

The report alleged that Palestinian safety forces “use solitary confinement and beatings, together with whipping their toes, and pressure detainees into painful stress positions for extended durations, together with hoisting their arms behind their backs with cables or rope, to punish and intimidate critics and opponents and elicit confessions”.

HRW’s report comes a yr after the dying of Nizar Banat, an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority (PA), whose household says he died after safety forces stormed his residence in the course of the evening and beat him with steel batons. His dying sparked weeks of protests in opposition to the PA, which governs elements of the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution. Palestinian safety forces violently dispersed a few of these protests.

Amnesty Worldwide mentioned final week that the PA had failed to carry its safety forces accountable for the dying. Palestinian authorities arrested 14 officers final summer time and are attempting them in a army courtroom, however have taken no motion in opposition to high commanders.

“Greater than a yr after beating to dying Nizar Banat, the Palestinian Authority continues to arrest and torture critics and opponents,” mentioned Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at HRW. “Systematic abuse by the PA and Hamas varieties a essential a part of the repression of the Palestinian individuals.”

The group listed Palestinians who it mentioned had been arbitrarily arrested within the aftermath of Banat’s dying. HRW mentioned safety forces weren’t held to account for the alleged torture and that given their systematic nature over a few years, the follow may quantity to crimes in opposition to humanity.

Palestine is a part of the Conference Towards Torture, which requires members to work to forestall torture.

The report additionally describes Israeli mistreatment and torture of Palestinian detainees within the West Financial institution, saying that no indictments have been issued in opposition to Israeli safety forces regardless of lots of of complaints made over the past 20 years.