Israeli military court, for first time, admits use of torture against prisoner

December 5, 2011 by occupiedpalestine 0 Comments

[ 05/12/2011 – 12:46 PM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)– The Israeli military court of Ofer admitted that Israeli officers from the Shin Bet and the police tortured a Palestinian detainee to force him to make fake confessions to charges he had nothing to do with it.

According to a report issued by the ministry of prisoners’ affairs in the West Bank, this court approved the acquittal of detainee Ayman Hamida, a 37-year old young man from Izariya area in occupied Jerusalem of the accusations made against him by the Israeli prosecution.

The court acknowledged that the interrogation means used by the officers for about two months in Ashkelon jail against the prisoner were illegal.

The Shin Bet filed an indictment against the prisoner involving accusations of possession of weapons, participation in an armed group and attempted murder.

The lawyer hired by the ministry of prisoner’s affairs in the West Bank refuted all the allegations made against the prisoner and accused the Israeli intelligence of extracting confessions from the prisoner under physical and psychological torture.

After the Israeli court heard the testimonies of police and Shin Bet officers, many violent practices against the Palestinian prisoner were vindicated and thus it accepted the statement of the detainee about torturing him and ordered his release.

Lawyer Tareq Barghout said that prisoner Hamdia suffers from a neurological disorder and was exposed to excruciating physical torture by Israeli interrogators who also prevented him from taking his medication and threatened him to arrest his family, adding that they did kidnap one of his brothers to pressure him.

The lawyer noted that such Israeli court decision was one of its kind especially by a military court and considered an explicit recognition of the use of torture and illegal means against Palestinian prisoners to extract false confessions.

Source and more at the Palestinian Information Center