Grave human rights situation of Palestinian and Arab political prisoners in Israel prisons – HRC 20th session – NGO statement (World Federation of Trade Unions)

Written statement* submitted by the World Federation of Trade Unions, a non-governmental organization in general consultative status 

The Secretary-General has received the following written statement which is circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31. 

[3 June 2012] 

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*This written statement is issued, unedited, in the language(s) received from the submitting non-governmental organization(s). 

Grave human rights situation of Palestinian and Arab political prisoners in Israel prisons 

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) would like to call your attention about the urgent and grave human rights situation of Palestinian and Arab political prisoners in Israel prisons. 

Today in Israeli prisons there are 4,600 Palestinians imprisoned militants. Of these:

•  560 have been convicted to life imprisonment by Israeli courts; 

•  220 are children; 

•  24 are Members of the Parliament; 

•  7 are women; 

•  300 prisoners are under “administrative detention”, without charges; 

•  204 prisoners have died in Israeli prisons. 

The prisoners have suffered torture, cruel and degrading treatment, physical, verbal and psychological abuse, uses of threats and force to extract confessions, use of solitary confinement for extended periods up to 10 years, prisoners are also assaulted and injured in their cells by the Israel army forces and their dogs, no family visits, lack of access to proper medical treatment, overcrowding and decrepit cells, children has been tortured with electrical shocks and sexually harassed, female prisoners also violated, harassed or hit. 

Among the prisoners there are great Palestinians and Arab militants who have dedicated their lives to the struggle of the Palestinian People to get their own independent homeland, their right to self-determination. 

Since the occupation started in 1967, more than 800 000 Palestinian has been detained, among them 10 000 children and 15 000 women. Israel had run a policy of daily violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. 

Some of the prisoners are in hunger strike, as a way to protest against Israel abuses, and their lives and health are very weak and risk dying. 

It is very disappointed to know that all these concerns have been raised for many years, that there has been dozens of UN and HRC reports, resolutions, fact finding missions, statements and calls without producing changes, without stopping this war crime. 

The Human Rights Council had failed to provide redress for the victims of occupation, to achieve that Israel respect the Fourth Geneva Convention, the Convention against Torture and other important International treaties. 

WFTU representing today 82 million members in more than 120 countries request: 

•  The immediate release of all political prisoners kept unfairly in Israeli prisons; 

•  To stop the settlement activity and the dismantling of the settlements; 

•  The immediate lifting of the unfair and inhumane blockade of Gaza Strip, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from all occupied territories, which is there since 1967, including the Golan Height and the Shebaa area of southern Lebanon; 

•  The demolition of the racist wall; 

•  The creation of an independent, democratic and truly free Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of all Palestinian refugees to their homeland; 

•  The international community to undertake its responsibilities and to implement all decisions of the United Nations and the Security Council; 

•  The Humans Rights Council to take urgent attention, action and intervention, to use its mandate to protect human’s rights abusers, to protect Palestinian prisoners, victims of tortures including minors and women. 

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