ISRAEL ISSUES ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION ORDERS AGAINST 32 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS
Ramallah, 19 Shawal 1436/4 August 2015 (MINA) – Israeli authorities issued administrative detention orders against 32 Palestinians, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Club (PPC) reported here Monday.
Of the prisoners, three received administrative detention orders for the first time, the remaining received renewed administrative orders, Palestinian News And Info Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
Administrative detention is a procedure that allows the Israeli military to hold prisoners indefinitely on secret information without charging them or allowing them to stand trial.
Israel routinely uses the administrative detention against Palestinians. Statistics show over the years, thousands of Palestinians have been held in Israeli custody as administrative detainees for extended periods of time.
The Israel human rights group B’Tselem says that, “International law stipulates that [administrative detention] may be exercised only in very exceptional cases – and then only as a last possible resort, when there are no other means available to prevent the danger.”
“The use of the administrative detention blatantly violates the restrictions of international law. Israel carries it out in a highly classified manner that denies detainees the possibility of mounting a proper defense.”
Palestinian detainees have continuously resorted to open-ended hunger strikes as a way to protest the illegal detention and to demand for an end to this policy.
Currently, there are two Palestinian prisoners on an open-ended hunger strike against the practice of administrative detention. They are identified as Mohammad Allan, an attorney from Nablus, and Abdul-Majid Kderat from Tubas in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, prisoner Khere Daraghmeh, is hunger striking against medical negligence by the Israel Prison Service.
In April 2015, the United Nations Human Rights Office (UNHRO) expressed concern over the continued and increasing use of administrative detention by Israeli authorities.
There are around 500 detainees serving administrative detention in several Israeli jails. 18 of the Palestinian Legislative Council members are currently held in Israeli detention without charge or trial, including the most recent arrest on Khalida Jarrar.
“The Israeli practice has been condemned on numerous occasions by the UNHRO and the Human Rights Committee that oversees implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Israel has ratified, said the UN News Center.
“UNHRO reiterates it call on Israel to end such practice and to either release without delay or to promptly charge all detainees and prosecute them with all the judicial guarantees required by international human rights law,” UNHRO spokesman Ravina Shamdasani said.
The Israeli parliament, Knesset, approved on its second and third reading of a legislation on July 30, allowing the force-feeding of hunger striking Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.
“Force-feeding constitutes a serious violation of human rights and the right of a person to do as they wish with their body,” said the group. “International human rights groups and health organizations took the position based on ethics, morality, and science. This law asks doctors to violate a centuries-old oath,” said a statement issued by Joint List oppositionist Arab group in the Knesset. (T/P011/RO6)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
