Not far from the Jericho casino that operated up until the Second Intifada that broke out in 2000 is every Palestinian detainee's worst nightmare. The Jericho prison has become a codename for the Palestinian Authority's No.1 torture center in the territories. Anyone who ends up there knows exactly what to expect at the facility.
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Palestinians who were recently held at the detention center say they underwent cruel physical and emotional torture. The atrocious stories coming out of the prison, or as it is commonly known, "the slaughterhouse of Jericho," shed light on the interrogation and torture methods used on Palestinian detainees. Some refer to the prison as the PA's Guantanamo Bay.
According to the testimonies of Palestinians detained at the facility, detainees are hit all over the body, have their heads covered, and their hands tied behind their back for long periods of time. They are blackmailed, withheld food and sleep, prevented from seeing a lawyer or family members, and threatened with acts of violence, including sexual violence, against their family members.
Palestinian human rights organizations report that Palestinian security forces carried out a series of arrests of Palestinian activists accused of either belonging to Hamas or engaging in anti-PA political activity in recent weeks. The detainees' attorneys and family members have complained of the torture there. A few days ago, a protest was held at Ramallah's central Manara Square. Demonstrators called for the detainees' release and for the infamous prison to be shut down.
"For the past week, I have been beaten all over my body, my hands tied in all kinds of positions that leave my back bent or my hands hung above me, and they leave heavy objects made of iron and bricks on my legs," Ahmed Harish said in court.
Placing the blame on the PA, the court, and the prosecution, Harish's sister said: "Ahmed cannot walk or move his head or move. He doesn't respond, and we understand that he is undergoing torture, is being tied with cables, his eyes are covered all the time, and he is beaten. He's lost half of his weight, and his speech is heavy, it's hard to comprehend. He said he's never experienced this kind of torture.
"We won't wait for my brother to become Nizar Banat," she said, referring to the Palestinian political activist from Hebron who was beaten to death by Palestinian security officials while detained in 2021.
A joint committee comprised of representatives from the Palestinian security system is charged with handling problematic and dangerous detainees at the Jericho prison. Among those detained in Jericho are Hamas and Islamic Jihad members as well as recalcitrant Fatah members suspected of being "enemies of the PA," but also opposition activists accused of opposing the regime and anyone whose activity Ramallah has decided to label as a "disturbance to the public order and national stability."
According to the Independent Palestinian Rights Network, 252 complaints of torture at PA prisons were filed in 2021. According to one Palestinian source, the incidence of torture is in fact more prevalent as many who experience it do not file a complaint.
While torture is illegal according to Palestinian law, it is still carried out in practice at interrogation facilities.
"It's very troubling and violates every treaty and international customs. Someone needs to get involved … We need to stop the work of the mechanisms' joint committee at the Jericho prison. As a result of criticism of the torture, the decision was made two years ago to dissolve the committee but it continues to operate," a source told Israel Hayom.
Omar Rahal of the SHAMS Human Rights and Democracy Media Centers in Ramallah said, "There needs to be oversight and the implementation of legal decisions. There is no planned or intentional decision to use torture, and as it happens, it is done by people on the ground."
While Human-rights organizations direct their criticism toward Israel for violating rights and its treatment of Palestinian detainees, a majority of them ignore complaints of torture in the PA. With US President Joe Biden set to meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas next month in Ramallah, these testimonies will likely be uncomfortable for members of the US administration, which is sensitive to the issue of human rights, to hear. The Palestinians will need to provide explanations, but more than that, the Americans will need to demand them in the first place.
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