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Israel's High Court banned it in its HCJ 5100/94 Public Committee against Torture in Israel v. Government of Israel, leaving a giant loophole in "ticking bombs" situations, giving authorities wide latitude to use it, PACTI and Adalah confirming various detainees affected.
"PACTI's experience over the years shows that from the moment detainees are deprived of their liberty until the end of their interrogation, they are exposed to acts which constitute torture and ill-treatment," including "punches, blows, kicks and slaps; shackling in painful positions....; verbal ill-treatment which includes threats to life, health and welfare of the interrogee and threats of injuring his or her family members; and curses and swearing towards the detainee, his family and his religion," and more.
Other abuses include physical and psychological torment, sleep deprivation for long periods, loud yelling in the ear, spitting in the face, withholding enough food and water, preventing access to toilets, and various other cruel and inhuman treatments.
IDF Violence against Detainees in Gaza
One detainee (anonymous for his safety) explains what happened after Israeli forces stormed his house, destroying everything in it:
"The next day, after having slept shackled on the second floor of our home, I heard the voices of my father and brothers....screaming from the blows they were taking from the soldiers. I started to yell that I want to (see) my mother. Then one of the soldiers took off his helmet and hit me on the head with it. I lost consciousness. I woke up later in the bathroom with three soldiers. One....took out his sexual organ and began to urinate on me while I was lying on the floor; meanwhile the two (others) laughed. I was completely soaked and there was a repulsive smell of urine. When the soldier who had urinated on me realized that I had woken up, he began to kick my upper body on the left side."
Other detainees described similar experiences, including some taken to border areas and "harshly physically assaulted," one saying "I prayed to god to arrive anywhere, even to die....just to stop this terrible suffering."
PACTI, Adalah, ACRI and HaMoked demanded these and other incidents be investigated. "To date, more than one and a half years (later), no answer has been received from the CMAG."
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