More direct from Balata, Barghouti torture protest

More direct from Balata / Barghouti torture protested

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[1] Balata report continued (Neta Golan)
[2] PCATI appeals to Attorney General over Barghouti torture

[1] Balata report continued (Neta Golan)

Saturday, June 1, 2002, 4.00 PM Israeli time - another telephone report by Neta Golan from invaded Balata Refugee Camp, Nablus.

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(...) The soldiers were systematically breaking down the walls between one house and another, throughout a very long row of refugee houses. It was done very systematically, they made arrows with spray paint pointing out the way they intended to continue. "Why are you breaking holes in the walls? The door is open?" I asked. "Go away, you are disturbing our work" one of them said. His slightly more tolerant mate explained "We have to do this, to have a passage safe from snipers". Actually, there were no snipers as he went into the open street to stop us. We had gone into the next house. I suppose we could have tried to stand directly in the way on the other side of the wall, which would probably have ended with us being arrested. But after all we just asked the soldiers to let the two women in the house move away their meagre possessions, which might have been smashed to pieces. In the end the soldiers agreed, grumbling a bit that we were hindring their work. The mother offered us tea, then suddenly offered it to the soldiers as well. They rejected this offer, shooing her away. But when they got to the opposite side of this house and started on breaking the wall to the next one, the officer made them carefully move aside the glass vases ranged along the wall, glancing at us. "These people are making us into softies" I heard one of the soldiers grumble. I don't know if he realized that I am Israeli and understand Hebrew.

Meanwhile, we heard from Brian, over at the Rapidiya Hospital, about a Balata woman who had been hospitalized there yesterday after being shot in the calf when her husband was arrested. It turned out that her two-week old baby had been left in the camp. The doctors determined that she could nurse him, but bringing the baby over - with the soldiers both around Balata and at the entrance to the hospital - presented a problem. Brian and the other in his group are trying to reason with the army and help solve the problem.

At the second row of houses, the soldiers did not let us into the houses. As we could see through the windows, in every house there were soldiers breaking walls with the inhabitants imprisoned in one room. After talking with some of the families we hurried over to the third row, where the soldiers did not yet start the breaking down of the walls. This is where we are now, waiting for the soldiers' arrival to this house.(...)

You can make phone contact with Neta Golan or one of the other internationals: Neta 067-467871; Quiva 055-975374; Starhawk 051-363231; Brian 056-615032, Annie 051-589761, Jessica 056-597796, Liam 056-503365, Linda 056-503365

Neta Golan is founder of ISM (International Solidarity Movement). To receive her own messages subscribe to palsolidarity@yahoogroups.com - by sending email to palsolidarity-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

[2] PCATI appeals to Attorney General over Barghouti torture

------- Forwarded message follows -------

From: Public Committee Against Torture in Israel

pcati@netvision.net.il

THE PUBLIC COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE IN ISRAEL POB 4634 Jerusalem 91046

Tel. 972-2- 5630073 Fax. 972-2-5665477

e-mail : pcati@netvision.net.il http://www.stoptorture.org.il

May 29,2002

Press Release

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel calls on Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein

Marwan Barghouti is being interrogated by methods prohibited by the High Court of Justice

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) yesterday, May 28, 2002, called on Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein and Talia Sasson, Director of the Department for Special Duties at the State Attorney's office, to take action against the use of illegal methods of interrogation, designated as torture by the High Court of Justice and prohibited by the Court's ruling of September 6,1999.

According to Hannah Friedman, Executive Director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, evidence collected by representatives of human rights organizations who visited Mr. Barghouti on May 21 reveals that, during his interrogation, he was placed on a small chair angled to slant forward while his hands and feet were shackled.

This method of interrogation was prohibited by the High Court of Justice. It is causing Mr. Barghouti severe pains in his hands and back. In addition, exposed nails on the back of the chair he is forced to sit on are causing him great suffering, and he is being interrogated close to 20 hours a day and deprived of sleep for days.

According to Friedman, the information received by PCATI also reveals that the GSS interrogators are threatening Barghouti saying that his son is being held at the Ashkelon Detention Center and that they will kill him, he is often prevented from meeting with his attorney and when these meetings do take place, a GSS officer is placed within hearing range, in violation of the attorney-client privlege.

"We demand that Barghouti be interrogated according to the principles of Israeli law and the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom, and according to the norms and standards set by international conventions Israel has ratified. The strength of a democratic state and the rule of law is tested in times of war and in the face of the enemy".

For further details please contact: Hannah Friedman Tel. 02-5630073, 056-556442 Guy Tatsa or Nadav Cohen Keidar Tel. 03-5248763, 058-356030

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