Representatives from the Palestinian Authority (PA) will appear today in front of the United Nations’ (UN) Committee Against Torture, which is considering Palestinian compliance with the UN convention against torture and other cruel forms of punishment.
Palestinian interior minister and former intelligence commander Ziad Hab al-Reeh, long-time chief of the Preventive Security agency, is leading a delegation of 17 officials from Ramallah appearing in front of the committee.
Geneva-based human rights organisation UN Watch presented a report to the 10-member committee on Monday, which alleges the “severe persecution and ostracism” of LGBTQ+ people, the “routine” torture of prisoners, and the persecution of “collaborators” with Israel, such as those who sell land to Jews.
One of the examples cited by UN Watch is an incident in May 2021 where PA security forces arrested dozens of activists and students considered critical of the PA, and were allegedly taken to a Jericho prison reportedly known as the “slaughterhouse,” allegedly accused of “stirring up sectarian and racial strife” and subjected to torture.
Another incident took place the following month after the death of PA critic Nizar Banat while in PA custody, which triggered protests in the West Bank. The PA police allegedly responded by arresting and beating the protesters, along with journalists, civil society activists and lawyers.
Palestinian radio journalist Akil Awadah, who was allegedly beaten and detained on July 5, 2021 with several other protester, said: “Never in my life have I seen such brutality. The sounds of people screaming inside the police station, to this day I still hear it.”
PA president Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: Getty)
The PA filed a 67-page response to the allegations, reportedly submitted to the UN committee four years late.
According to UN Watch legal advisor Dina Rovner, the Palestinian submission “contains no data on the pervasiveness of torture under the PA and Hamas, or on any practical measures implemented to prevent torture by security forces during interrogation, nor does it offer any information on individual cases of torture, justice for victims, or actions to address underlying causes of violations.”
The fact that Palestinian interior minister and former intelligence commander Ziad Hab al-Reeh is leading the delegation is subject to controversy. UN Watch says that he was the long-time head of the Preventive Security agency, that last year allegedly beat critic Nizar Banat to death.
Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, said: “President Abbas is showing his contempt for the UN committee by sending the long-time head of an agency notorious for torturing detainees with threats of violence, solitary confinement, beatings, including lashing and whipping of the feet of detainees, forcing detainees into painful stress positions for prolonged periods, including using cables or ropes to hoist up arms behind the back.”
The UN Committee Against Torture is made up of 10 independent experts, and the date of any report or determination from the committee is currently unknown.
