For a long period now, HaMoked has been corresponding with various Ministry of Justice officials over the Israel Security Agency’s use of prohibited methods – amounting to actual torture – during interrogations. A
letter sent to the Deputy State Attorney detailing some of the recent cruel interrogation techniques was answered by the Supervisor of the Interrogee-Complaints Inspector (charged with reviewing complaints by ISA interrogees). In her response, the Supervisor stated that she could not address the issue because HaMoked’s letter did not include specific complaints, only general claims as to the existence of prohibited interrogation methods. In the absence of any response to the issue of principle, HaMoked sent a
letter to the Attorney General describing the shocking picture emerging from the testimonies of the Palestinians interrogated by the ISA, and demanding the matter be swiftly investigated and those responsible be brought to justice.
On June 15, 2015, another
response arrived from the Supervisor, in which she addressed HaMoked’s assertion that by her objection to a review of the substantive claim of illicit interrogation methods being used by the ISA, she was effectively preventing the possibility of a comprehensive change of prohibited norms. The Supervisor stated that more individual complaints were needed for an indication to emerge as to the phenomenon’s existence, and only then would it be possible to take action in the matter.
On July 22, 2015,
HaMoked wrote again to the Attorney General, this time with detailed information based on the testimonies of 116 Palestinians arrested between August 2013 and March 2014, who had been held at the ISA interrogation facility at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon. HaMoked stated that in the 116 interrogees, 39 reported they were forced to sit on deformed interrogation chair, which caused them extreme pain and sustained discomfort; 37 said they were painfully shackled hand and foot throughout the interrogation; 68 reported they threatened by their interrogators and 50 said the interrogators cursed and humiliated them, using obscene and offensive language; 6 reported they were tied to a bed for 24 or 48 hours, allegedly for their own protection following a “suicide threat”. HaMoked stressed that despite the obvious fear of filing complaints, 13 found the courage to do so; however, their complaints had not been pursued seriously: some cases were closed due to complainants’ fear to give oral testimony before investigation officials, and the fate of others, which were not officially closed, remained unknown.
HaMoked stressed that despite the Supervisor’s claims, it seemed that the issue had come to a standstill. Individual complaints are being closed wholesale and not handled seriously, and HaMoked’s demand for a comprehensive overhaul is rejected on the claim that not enough individual complaints have been accumulated. HaMoked requested the Attorney General intervene to quickly launch a thorough in depth investigation of the claims brought by HaMoked.
