Israel has 'state policy of torturing Palestinian prisoners', UN report says

In its biennial report on compliance with the Convention against Torture, the UN Committee against Torture notes that there is "deeply disturbing" evidence of a de facto state policy of organized torture of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and detention facilities.

UN experts attach allegations of repeated brutal beatings, attacks by service dogs, electric shocks, drowning, sexual violence, systematic denial of medical care and improper use of handcuffs, which in some cases have led to amputations.

The Committee also criticizes the widespread use of the legal term "unlawful combatants" and administrative detention, under which Israel holds thousands of Palestinians, including children, without charge or trial.

According to the UN, at least 75 Palestinians have died in detention since the start of the Gaza war, and no one responsible has yet been brought to justice.

The report comes as Israeli authorities are reviewing an incident in Jenin where soldiers shot dead two Palestinians after their apparent surrender, in what human rights organisations have described as a possible extrajudicial execution.

Israel denies the allegations of torture and maintains that prison conditions are lawful, but the Committee points to the virtual absence of prosecutions for torture.

(reuters, sie)