Tag: torture

UN report on torture in Israel is horrific


The UN report into how Palestinians are treated is deeply troubling

November 2025

The UN has published its sixth periodic report on Israel (along with other countries) and contains a great deal of extremely troubling material. The scale of abuse and torture is huge and the methods truly barbaric. It seems to reveal a state which thinks it can act with impunity against Palestinians no doubt reflecting on the uncritical support of the US and only feeble commentary from countries such as the UK. Below are some of the extracts (paragraph numbers at the end of each extract).

  • Israel it notes does not accept jurisdiction for those held under its jurisdiction but outside its territory (8)
  • The UN urges Israel to incorporate the use of torture as a specific crime into its domestic law (11)
  • Palestinians do not receive fundamental legal safeguards. [This is a reflection of the apartheid system operating in the country] (12)
  • All detainees should be informed of their rights, the charges made against them and a right to a lawyer. They also have a right to medical attention. (13)
  • Expresses concern about mass arrests and the use of administrative detention. (14)
  • In the same vein it is concerned about mass arrests of women, children, pregnant women, older persons on the basis of ‘real or perceived group characteristics.’ Palestinians often held incommunicado.
  • Palestinians held in very poor conditions, without sanitation, with no ventilation, running water or natural light. They are denied access to medical care. (18)
  • There are reports of prisoners being blindfolded at all times, shackled to a bed, fed through straws and forced to wear incontinence garments due to their immobilisation. Women are denied feminine hygiene products, are separated from their babies and not allowed to breast feed them. (18)
  • Children are arrested, blindfolded and subject to torture and ill-treatment. Many children are held without charge and in solitary confinement. (22)
  • The government was unable to provide information about the numbers of deaths in custody. It is believed to be at least 75 since October 7th, 2023. Haaretz in its report on this topic says 98 have died in custody but we do not know the time period. It appears to be an abnormally high number of Palestinians who have died. The bodies show signs of torture and extreme malnutrition. Independent autopsies have not been carried out. (24)
  • The International Red Cross has not been allowed to inspect prisons. (26)

THE NEXT EXTRACT IS DEEPLY TROUBLING AND CARRIES A WARNING

The UN were troubled by reports about ‘organised and widespread use of torture and ill-treatment’ of detainees. The methods used included severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, waterboarding, use of prolonged stress positions, sexual violence, threats against detainees and their families, insults to their personal dignity, made to act like animals and being urinated on, use of restraints such that amputations were needed, performance of surgery without anaesthetic, sexual abuse of both men and women, rape, attempted rape, beating of genitals, electrocution of genitals and anus [..] (28)

Five Israeli human rights organisation have contributed evidence. Israel sought to argue that there are adequate controls but the committee was unpersuaded. Israel has 1 year to respond. If true, then the report describes a system out of control and casts a large shadow over the nation. These do not appear to be isolated incidents but a systematic and organised abuse of Palestinian people being held often without charge in Israeli prisons. The appalling treatment of women and the torture of children is especially troubling.

Full UN report

UN report NovDownload
1

Abuse of medical staff by Israel


Reports of torture, beatings, starvation and humiliation of Palestinian medical staff by Israeli authorities

February 2025

With the welcome release of hostages from Gaza as part of the peace process, there has been considerable coverage of the condition of those arriving back home in Israel. Some have died in custody either as a result of bombing by Israel or by other means. Since journalists are not allowed in Gaza, obtaining independent confirmation of which is difficult. Those released have looked thin and haggard and Hamas used the process to make propaganda points. There have been no reports of torture or mistreatment however. Further coverage has shown their reception in Israel with large crowds welcoming them home.

Credible reports are emerging of the treatment of Palestinian medical people in Israel prisons. Health Care Workers Watch in a report published in December last year (accessible on their site) paints an horrific picture of their treatment. Medical staff, including surgeons, have been seized in hospitals – sometimes in the midst of performing surgery – and subjected to sustained brutal treatment and torture in Israel. Similar reports are produced by the World Health Organisation.

Medical staff have been thrown into lorries and have suffered severe beatings leaving them incapable of standing, The range of mistreatment is horrific and the detailed descriptions disturbing. In brief the treatment has included: beatings, often using rifle butts; severe injuries to genitalia; anal rape – again often with rifles; use of dogs; electrocution, sometimes while suspended from the ceiling; people forced into stress positions; prolonged solitary confinement; extremely loud music to prevent sleep, and not allowing medical prisoners to wash or change clothes for sustained periods of time sometimes months. All were eventually released without charge. WHO suggests that 297 medical staff were held, HCWW claim it was 384.

The reports paint a picture that suggests these arrests, combined with the attacks and destruction of medical facilities in Gaza itself, are part of a plan to make the territory unliveable. The reports are supported by evidence from an Israeli organisation, Physicians for Human Rights in Israel. They have visited prisoners and carried out their own interviews supporting the above allegations. A CNN report provides further horrific details. The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem published a report Welcome to Hell describing the cruelties and torture inflicted in Israeli prisons more widely. There is also a report by Human Rights Watch on the torture of Palestinian medics. The Israeli government has denied all these allegations saying prisoners are held and treated according to law.

People reading this post may be surprised at the information above. This is because of the widespread failure of media to report it. There is considerable coverage of the homecomings and of the release of Hamas detainees whereas the treatment described here has received limited coverage.

The importance of language

Language is important no more so than during a time of conflict. Media reports describe those released by Hamas as ‘hostages’ in exchange for ‘prisoners’ being released by Israel. This is the language used by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and print media to describe these events. It has become the standard way to describe them. It is thoroughly misleading. It demonstrates the capture of British media by the steady drip of Israeli misinformation combined with banning journalists access on the ground. It may also be an indication of the fear media groups have of being labelled ‘antisemitic’. Almost all criticism of Israel is labelled thus. Such criticism gives rise to accusations of the critic being ‘pro Hamas’. It is conveniently forgotten that Benyamin Netanyahu was a supporter of the organisation in an attempt to weaken the PLO.

Considerable evidence – from within the country and outside – shows that Israel has seized scores of medics (the subject of this post), threw them into lorries and subjected them to sustained periods of torture, abuse, did not allowed access to lawyers and with no charges made. How is this different from hostages? The word ‘prisoner’ implies some process of law. It also implies that said prisoners had committed some kind of crime. Yet no charges were made, none were taken before a magistrate, none were allowed legal representation and they were eventually released without charge after prolonged periods of mistreatment, solitary confinement and torture.

This has enabled Israel to occupy a kind of higher moral ground. The country suffered terribly on October 7th. Hamas killed 1,200*, seized hostages in their fearful raid on October 7th 2023 and held them for months and it still holds on to some. This is a war crime. Yet Israel’s subsequent behaviour, killing around 48,300 in Gaza with over 111,000 injured (WHO figures) and the vast destruction and mounting violence in the West Bank, has lost the nation much sympathy. It has not solved its central problem of long-term security and the prospects for a two state solution seem further away than ever.

Western media, by failing to report on these issues, is guilty of misleading the public.

Sources: WHO; CNN; Guardian; Health Care Workers Watch; Physicians for Human Rights in Israel; B’Tselem; Human Rights Watch. See also Health Workers for Palestine

*revised figure – Times of Israel 11 November 2023.

0

Vigils continue


31st Vigil on 6 July. Labour’s relations with Israel now significant following the general election

July 2024

UPDATE 2: The new government has announced (8 July) that it is to drop its bid to delay the ICC’s intention to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

UPDATE: It is rare for us to update a post only hours after its publication but we have mentioned the prime minister’s uncertain history in relation to Israel and today, 7 July, he has made a statement committing his party, and now the government, in support of a two state solution. This is to be welcomed.

The vigils continue in Salisbury market place although attendance down to around 25. The conflict continues and although there are reports of peace talks, there is little confidence they will lead to a successful result. Around 38,000 Palestinians have now died including thousands of children.

The conflict spilled into the General Election which was held in the UK last week on 4 July and led to a landslide victory for the Labour party. However some seats were lost and others came close to being lost because of Sir Keir Starmer’s remark early in the election where he said that “Israel has the right to withhold power and water from the Palestinian people” then going on to say that “obviously, everything should be done within International law”. The problem is that collective action against civilians is against international law so the two comments contradict each other. Another, less noticed interview was with the Jewish Chronicle where Starmer was asked about apartheid in Israel and, despite the overwhelming evidence produced by a number of human rights organisations from both within Israel and outside the country that Israel was indeed running an apartheid system, said that Israel was not an apartheid state.

Arms to Israel

It is going to be interesting to see how the new administration handles the arms question and whether it allows further exports going to Israel. The problem for the party is that they struggled for some time to shake off the ‘anti-Semitic’ accusation following Jeremy Corbin’s time as leader. Arguably, this has led them to become fearful of making any criticism of Israeli actions and to become unquestioning supporters.

The Salisbury Amnesty group is 50 this year

Another problem for Israel – and by extension the western countries still continuing to support it – are credible reports of the widespread use of torture by the Israelis. These reports are from the UN; the International Center for Transition Justice; Middle East Monitor; Voice of America; al Jazeera and many others. In the current edition of Private Eye (No: 1627) in its ‘Gaza Watch’ column, is a report of the death in custody of Dr Iyad al-Rantisi in November last year. He was held in a Shin Bet interrogation facility. He was moving south with his family as directed by the IDF and was detained at a checkpoint. Six days later he was dead. A gag order forbade all publication of details of the case and the family have not been provided with an explanation.

He was not alone and a large number of other health care workers have also died. According to Health Care Workers Watch Palestine, 541 such workers have died at the hands of IDF to date, the highest number in any conflict in UN history. Other agencies report comparable numbers. Private Eye also quotes the EU’s European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Operations directorate which reports that 31 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza have been destroyed.

The next vigil will take place on Saturday 13th at 5pm and people concerned about the conflict are welcome to come along.

Protests

It’s perhaps also interesting to note that our protest is entirely silent and there are no loud-hailers. We undertake no violent actions and we do not chain ourselves to railings or other similar activities. We do not therefore infringe the previous government’s laws designed to limit protest. As a result we are ignored and we will not be reported on by local media. A matter on which to reflect for those who say they do not mind protests as long as they’re peaceful.

1720887540

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

Salisbury Vigil

Good attendance at vigil


December 2025 UPDATED A good attendance at the 106th vigil in Salisbury with around 40 of us there. We were joined by some by some passers-by which is always encouraging. News about Gaza has been eclipsed by the continuing war in Ukraine and the appalling attack on Jews on Bondi Beach killing 15 people on…

welland2's avatar by welland2

Minutes and Newsletter, December


Minutes of our December meeting December 2025 We are pleased to attach our minutes and newsletter for the December group meeting thanks to group member Lesley for compiling them. They include several reports some of which appear elsewhere on this site with links to other sites of interest. Item 12 refers to upcoming events which…

welland2's avatar by welland2

UK Human Rights Report: Current Threats and Government Actions


Monthly report on human rights in the UK December 2025 Amnesty has for many years, focused its efforts on human rights issues overseas. Recent actions by governments of both persuasions have meant a greater focus on the threats to rights here in the UK. Only this very week, the prime minister and other ministers are…

welland2's avatar by welland2
0

Jagtar Singh Johal


Jagtar still at risk in India. Shameful involvement of UK security services

August 2022

We have reported on the plight of Jagtar in previous posts. He was snatched off the streets in India in 2017 by plain clothes police and has spent 5 years in gaol. There is evidence that he has been tortured using electric shocks, sleep deprivation and long hours of interrogation.

The latest development is an action by lawyers Leigh Day against the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Attorney General alleging the involvement of UK security services in his arrest. The security services allegedly, according to Reprieve, tipped off the Indian authorities and the complaint is that they should not do this where there is a real risk of torture being used. The family has campaigned to the Foreign Office but have doubts about how effective or assertive they have been. Liz Truss – currently campaigning to be the next prime minister – has been the Foreign Secretary for much of the time of Jagtar’s imprisonment.

His treatment raises important questions about the involvement of UK’s security services in their dealings with foreign police and security services who are known to use torture.

See also supporters@reprieve.org.uk

0

Boxing in Saudi


Mohammed bin Salman continues his sportswashing activity with a boxing fixture tomorrow in Jedda

August 2022

With its vast wealth, Saudi Arabia is pursuing its attempt to whitewash its reputation by sponsoring a boxing match today (Saturday 20th 2022) between British born Anthony Joshua and the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in Jedda. Each will share a purse of around £33m. This is not the first time and in a previous post we pointed out the human rights problems in Saudi to which Joshua gave a less than satisfactory answer.

Readers of this site will not be unaware of the many posts we have published concerning the dire human rights situation in Saudi. Mass executions including one of the largest ever of 81 men in one day in March. The use of torture is routine, children are not exempt and Mustafa al-Darwish was executed last year. Trials are in secret and often little more than rubber stamping confessions produced following torture.

Only today 19 August 2022, there was a report of a Saudi woman given a 34 year sentence for using Twitter. A terrorist court has imposed the sentence on the Leeds University student who has a mere 2,500 or so followers.

Saudi activities in Yemen also should be mentioned with bombing of non military targets commonplace. British and US arms including aircraft are used in these missions and British personnel – including RAF personnel – are in place to ‘advise’ the Saudis.

In an effort to sanitise this reputation, MbS has embarked on a programme of sportswashing which has included golf, boxing, tennis, F1, horse racing with the worlds richest prize. Even chess is supported. Money has also come to Newcastle United football club. According to a report by Grant Liberty, a massive £1.5bn has been spent on this sportswashing. And the money works with little sign of the hundreds of sports people being the least bit concerned about the country they are competing in. The sports pages are full of their endeavours with facile interviews of the stars. Beheadings? Torture? Mass executions? Yemen? No women’s rights to speak of? None of it seems to concern our sporting heroes so long as the money is right.

Sources: Amnesty, The Guardian, Grant Liberty

1

Overseas Operations Bill


The Overseas Operations Bill risks Britain’s reputation

UPDATED: 29 September

THE OOP was introduced to parliament last week and the controversial element is the introduction of a time limit to prosecutions of British troops who commit crimes while on active service overseas.  A limit of 5 years will be introduced but also, and less reported, a six year limit on soldiers themselves being able to claim against the MoD for things like PTSD or hearing loss [Forces.net 22 September 2020].  The bill seeks to derogate the UK from the European Convention of Human Rights, see the bill itself (pdf).

It must be said straight away that the vast majority of service personnel behave honourably in the service of their country and literally risk their lives in so doing.  Some receive serious injuries from things like IEDs which can result in the loss of limbs or blindness.  The MoD has been culpable of sending troops into theatre with inadequate equipment which has resulted in needless additional injury.

The last few years have seen a series of allegations of ‘vexatious claims’ by legal firms allegedly putting together spurious or exaggerated ones.  One such firm was run by Phil Shiner who’s licence to practice was taken away by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal [Law Society Gazette, 2 February 2017].

Despite this, we should be concerned as a nation if our soldiers are involved in torture or mistreatment of prisoners.  These should always be investigated if only for the reason of why we go to war in the first place which is to promote our notions of justice, the rule of law and treating people decently regardless of race, religion or gender.  We can hardly complain about countries such as Egypt, Iran, most of the Gulf states and China who do practise torture more or less routinely, if we ourselves do not root out such practices ourselves.

An inconvenient fact not it seems noted in our media yet, is that the UK is a signatory of the UN Convention Against Torture which provides an obligation on the UK not to apply statutes of limitation to allegations of torture and has a continuing obligation to investigate them which cannot be time-limited [Redress 18 March 2020].  

THE British government has repeatedly stressed it does not engage in torture but was found to have allowed rendition flights to come through the UK.  Documents were also found after the collapse of Libya which showed the government’s complicity in this practice.  This has led to a case against the former Home Secretary Jack Straw.

Kate Allen has said in response to the bill:

What does it say about the UK’s armed forces to suggest that they need immunity from prosecution for acts of torture and other serious crimes? [Daily Mirror 22 September 2020]

That some – a minority – of our service people have behaved badly is not in dispute.  That some legal cases may have been vexatious is also probably true.  But the overriding considerations are the integrity of the nation and to be seen in the world as an exemplar of human rights and good behaviour.  Apologists say it will still be possible to bring such a case after the period of 5 years has elapsed.  Indeed, the wording of the bill does allow that.  One wonders why in that case is there a need for the bill?  To limit claims against the MoD has been described as ‘devastating’ by a partner in the law firm Hugh James [22 September 2020].  

In a previous post, we drew attention to the Attorney General Suella Braverman’s seemingly relaxed view of the use of torture, an astonishing attitude for the nation’s most senior law officer to have.  Our attitude to this abhorrent practice should be unequivocal.  We do not do it, we do not condone it and if any of our people engage in it, we will investigate and prosecute regardless if five or more years have gone by.

UPDATE: 29 September 2020.  In the above link to our post about the Attorney General, we took at face value the background claimed by Suella Braverman.  These claims have been investigated by the Observer journalist Nick Cohen who has cast doubt on many of them.  He and other journalists have tried to authenticate these various claims of relevant experience and have so far, been unable to do so.  

0

Journalists under threat in Yemen


Four journalists in Yemen face the death penalty, simply for telling the world the truth about suffering in Yemen

The news is so dominated by Covid-19 that events around the world do not get reported.  The treatment of journalists in Yemen is worthy of our concern however and we hope you will spend a few moments clicking on the link below to the Amnesty site and take the necessary action.

Akram, Abdelkhaleq, Hareth and Tawfiq were just doing their job when they were detained and charged with “spying” and “creating several websites on the internet and social media.” They have now been detained, alongside six other journalists, for five years.  Abdelkhaleq’s family say that other detainees have heard him screaming as he was being tortured. Every day, journalists around the world face intimidation, imprisonment and violence, for reporting on human right violations.  No-one should be sentenced to death just for doing their job.

The Huthi de facto authorities recently pardoned Hamid Haydara, a prisoner of conscience also sentenced to death.

If we pressure the authorities, the same can happen for Akram, Abdelkhaleq, Hareth and Tawfiq.

Call on the Huthi de facto authorities to immediately quash their death sentences, and release all ten journalists.

This is an Amnesty post.  You can go to the Amnesty site and get to the petition here. 

 

0

Urgent action: Bahrain


Threat of execution following confession induced by torture

Bahrain continues to attract attention on the human rights front and we have posted several items over the years.  In 2011, Hussain Ali Moosa and Mohamed Ramadhan took part in an uprising against the Bahraini monarchy.  Three years later in 2014, they were sentenced to death for killing a policeman. The main piece of evidence used during the trial was Hussain Ali Moosa’s forced “confession” extracted from him under torture.  This “confession” was also used to incriminate Mohamed Ramadhan.  The picture is courtesy of BahrainRights.org

If you are able to support this action it would be appreciated.

Urgent Action – Bahrain

There is also a report published by Amnesty on this country.

If you are interested in joining the group and you live in the Salisbury/Amesbury/Wilton area you would be most welcome.  The best thing is to come to one of our events which can be found at the end of recent minutes or posted on Twitter and Facebook and make yourself known.  It is free to join the Salisbury group.

0

Boy at risk of execution in Saudi


Saudi Arabia: boy arrested aged 13 at risk of execution

Murtaja Qureiris was held in solitary confinement and subjected to beatings during his interrogation.  Murtaja Qureiris faces possible execution for offences which date back to when he was just ten years old.  CNN footage shows him taking part in bike protest with other young boys in Shi’a Eastern Province in 2011.

Amnesty International is calling for the Saudi Arabian authorities to rule out the use of the death penalty against a teenager arrested at the age of 13 for participating in anti-government protests.  CNN this week revealed he was facing the death penalty and published video footage showing Murtaja Qureiris participating in bike protests in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province as a young boy in 2011.

Amnesty has confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution sought the death penalty for Murtaja Qureiris last August for a series of offences, some of which date back to when the teenager was just ten years old.  Qureiris, now aged 18, was arrested in September 2014 and detained in a juvenile detention centre in al-Dammam city.  He was held in solitary confinement for a month, and subjected to beatings and intimidation during his interrogation.  His interrogators promised to release him if he confessed to charges against him.  In May 2017, he was moved to al-Mabaheth prison in al-Dammam, an adult facility, even though he was still only 16.

Throughout his detention, Qureiris was denied access to a lawyer until after his first court session in August 2018. This was held at the country’s notorious Specialised Criminal Court, an anti-terrorism court set up in 2008 and increasingly used for cases involving human rights activists and protesters.

The charges against Murtaja Qureiris include participating in anti-government protests; attending the funeral of his brother Ali Qureiris who was killed in a protest in 2011; joining a “terrorist organisation;” throwing Molotov cocktails at a police station, and firing at security forces.  He is currently awaiting his next trial session.  Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East Research Director, said:

It is appalling that Murtaja Qureiris is facing execution for offences that include taking part in protests while he was just ten years old.
The Saudi Arabian authorities have a chilling track record of using the death penalty as a weapon to crush political dissent and punish anti-government protesters – including children – from the country’s persecuted Shi’a minority.
Instead of stepping up their use of the death penalty to silence critics.
There should be no doubt that the Saudi Arabian authorities are ready to go to any length to crack down on dissent against their own citizens, including by resorting to the death penalty for men who were merely boys at the time of their arrest.”

Persecution of Shi’as in the Eastern Province

Since 2011, the authorities have cracked down on successive waves of protests by the Shi’a minority in the country’s Eastern Province.  In April this year, Amnesty confirmed the execution of Abdulkareem al-Hawaj, a young Shi’a man arrested aged 16 and convicted of offences related to his involvement in anti-government protests.  He was among 37 men put to death in one day as part of a gruesome execution spree.  Three other Shi’a men – Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher and Dawood al-Marhoon, who were arrested in 2012 aged 17, 16 and 17 respectively in connection with their involvement in anti-government protests – are at risk of being executed at any time.

Since 2014, more than 100 Shi’a Saudis have been tried before the Specialised Criminal Court on vague and wide-ranging charges arising from their opposition to the government, including peaceful criticism of the authorities.  Amnesty has documented that a number of these have involved grossly unfair trials, with defendants convicted and – in many cases – sentenced to death on vague charges that criminalise peaceful opposition, and on the basis of “confessions” extracted through torture or other coercive means.

Appalling record
Saudi Arabia has an appalling record of using the death penalty – including against children – after grossly unfair trials that rely on confessions extracted through torture. The use of the death penalty for offences allegedly committed by people under 18 is strictly prohibited by international law. Amnesty opposes the death penalty in all circumstances without exception.

Source: Amnesty press release.

Amnesty is hosting a talk by Paul Mason on 24th June.  If you want to join us, this would be a good time to make yourself known.  UPDATE: We regret to say this event has been cancelled.

0

Torture Report: Yemen


Torture report released

July 2018

Amnesty has just published a report on the use of torture in Yemen.  This adds to the severe stress the country is in.  UK involvement and the critical comments by a select committee can be read here.

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑