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In its 2008 Annual
Report, the United
Against Torture
Coalition (UAT
Coalition), a coalition
of 14 Palestinian and
Israeli human rights
organisations, has
undertaken an in-depth
and critical analysis of Israel's compliance with the
Convention Against
Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment
(CAT).
The report examines the
continued and systemic
use of torture by the
State of Israel, in both Israel and in the occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt).
In accordance with the
mandate of the UAT
Coalition, the Annual
Report focuses on
violations against
Palestinians, in both
the oPt and Israel. The
Annual Report is based
on
material submitted
by the UAT Coalition to
the United Nations
Committee against
Torture (the Committee)
in September 2008,
pending the Committee's
periodical review of Israel's compliance with CAT,
scheduled for May 2009.
The Annual Report draws
upon the considerable
experience of the UAT
Coalition membership
including more than 80
pages of affidavit
material, extracts of
which are interspersed
throughout.
In preparing the Annual
Report, the UAT
Coalition examined the
use of torture and
ill-treatment by the
Israeli authorities
against Palestinians
from the point of
arrest, through
interrogation and
detention as well as the
use of coerced
confessions in the
military courts. The
Annual Report also
considers:
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The use of
torture and
ill-treatment in
non-conventional
circumstances,
including house
demolitions, the
Gaza siege and
the coercion by
the Israeli
Security Agency
(ISA) of medical
patients
attempting to
exit Gaza in
order to access
necessary
medical
treatment.
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The continued
use of
incommunicado
detention and
lack of prompt
access to
lawyers for
Palestinians
detainees.
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The
discriminatory
nature in which
laws and
practices are
applied to
Palestinian
detainees
compared to
Israeli
citizens.
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The impunity
with which ISA
interrogators,
police officers
and members of
the Israeli army
torture and
abuse
Palestinian
detainees,
including
children as
young as 12.
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A legislative
exemption that
allows the ISA
to interrogate
Palestinian
detainees
without audio
visual
recordings as is
required in
other
investigations.
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The failure of
the State of
Israel to
clearly prohibit
the use of
torture and
ill-treatment in
its domestic
legislation as
recommended by
the UN
Committee.
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The UAT Coalition
concludes in its Annual
Report that the use of
torture and
ill-treatment by Israeli
authorities against
Palestinians is both
widespread and
systematic. The State is
either unwilling or
unable to fulfill its
treaty obligations under
CAT.
The UAT Coalition has
observed and recorded
evidence of acts,
omissions and complicity
by agents of the State
at all levels, including
the army, the
intelligence service,
the police, the
judiciary and other
branches of government.
The UAT Coalition is of
the view that until this
culture of impunity is
addressed the situation
is unlikely to improve.
Contact a DCI-Palestine
if you wish to receive a
hard copy of the report
or read it
online in English,
Arabic or Hebrew.
Source: UAT
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