UNHCHR expresses concern over the condition of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike, and the practice of administrative detention – UNOG/UNHCHR press briefing (Excerpts)

Corinne Momal-Vanian, the Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired the briefing, which was also attended by Spokespersons for the International Organization for Migration, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Palestinian hunger strikers

In response to a question on the Palestinian hunger strikers, Ravina Shamdasani of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that OHCHR was very concerned about the situation as it understood that some prisoners were currently in a critical condition. The key issue for OHCHR was administrative detention, which it had raised time and again with Israel. Israel’s use of administrative detention was a cause for concern not only to OHCHR but also to a number of Special Rapporteurs and Treaty Bodies, including the Human Rights Committee.

International law was clear: administrative detention should only be used in exceptional cases and for imperative reasons of security, and administrative detainees should have the right to challenge the lawfulness of the detention. The Human Rights Committee had clearly stated that fair trial guarantees, included in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, should apply to both civilian and military tribunals.