Francesca Albanese: Israeli Prisons Function as a Tool of Oppression

Geneva, MINA – UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, has warned that Israel’s systematic use of torture against Palestinians has become a primary instrument in a pattern of grave and ongoing violations.

In a report presented to the UN Human Rights Council, Albanese stated that since the onset of the latest escalation, Israel’s prison system has effectively become a laboratory for severe and deliberate abuse.

She added that practices once carried out in secrecy are now conducted openly, describing a system built on humiliation, pain, and systematic abuse, one that is backed at the highest political levels.

Albanese pointed out that policies implemented by Israeli officials, including Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, have contributed to the entrenchment of torture and collective punishment, alongside detention conditions she described as inhumane.

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She stressed that these violations cannot be justified even in times of war, and called for accountability for those responsible, including before the International Criminal Court.

According to the report, since October 2023, more than 18,500 Palestinians have been detained in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including at least 1,500 children, while thousands more remain held without charge or trial. Cases of enforced disappearance and the deaths of approximately 100 detainees in custody have also been recorded.

The report further documented that detainees have been subjected to harsh treatment, including severe beatings, starvation, humiliation, and other forms of inhumane treatment.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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