Samer Al-Arbeed … torture victim

Samer Al-Arbeed, 44 Years old, He was arrested by the Israeli army on Wednesday 25 September 2019 in front of his workplace in Ramallah. He was beaten by Special Forces who arrested him according to his wife, who was with him at the time of his arrest. Then he was transferred to the Al- Maskoubia interrogation center – Jerusalem and prevented from seeing his lawyer.

Al-Arbeed was taken to Hadassah Hospital on Friday 27. September 2019 for treatment in critical condition due to the torture he suffered during interrogation. Al- Arbeed lost consciousness and suffered fractures in the rib cage, as a result of torture, bruises and beating throughout his body and severe kidney failure, and was taken to the hospital without telling his lawyer or family.

It turned out that the prisoner Samer Al-Arbeed told the military judge at the court hearing that he felt pain in his chest, and could not swallow and continue to vomit, and that he is suffering from severe health malaise. He was tortured in order to obtain security confessions under torture and that there were bruises on his body, neck, chest and feet, however his detention was extended by the military judge for 8 days on 26 September 2019 and was not transferred to hospital.

On Saturday 28 September 2019, the detainee officer told his lawyer that Samer was taken due to a serious health condition to Hadassah / Al-Issawiya Hospital. When the lawyer went to him, he was not allowed to visit and told that he was in a coma and could not talk. He was put on artificial respirators and suffered fractures in several areas of his body.

His lawyer applied for release because of his serious health condition, but was refused because he faces serious security charges and receives the necessary treatment.

The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted the Israeli security official as saying that Al- Arbeed had been subjected to an "emergency investigation," allowing torture to be carried out, on the grounds that Al-Arbeed was a "time bomb" and that torture was used to prevent security operations.

Second of October 2019, Nour Al-Arbeed, the wife of the prisoner Samer Al-Arbeed, said, there is no new information about his health condition. The occupation also refuses to give the family medical reports about his health. In addition, the family contacted Hadassah Hospital in particular and refused to give information about the health condition of Al-Arbeed. According to Al-Arbeed’s wife, they are getting information from the Hebrew media

Second of October 2019. His lawyer, Mahmoud Hassan, also explained that the military court rejected the request for the release of Al- Arbeed and his detention will be extended until Thursday. 10. October. 2019

Reports from lawyers on 8th October, said that Israeli authority still not allowed his family and his lawyer to visit him and to meet him at the hospital although he is in a critical health condition, and they extend his arrest until 15th October 2019.

In 1991, Israel signed the Convention against Torture ( Article 2), which obliges States parties to prohibit the use of torture and other unlawful or violent practices against detainees in interrogation rooms. Also torture prohibited in all its forms, according to International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 7).

Israel permits torture by using the pretext of the so-called security necessities as an exceptional circumstance. Israel violates international law and all international conventions by using torture against Palestinian detainees, which in many cases led to the death of many of them, such as the martyr Arafat Jaradat, Aziz Oweisat and the last martyr Nassar Taqatqa.

According to Article VII and VIII of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, torture is classified as a crime against humanity and a war crime.

What is happening these days to Samer Arbeed confirm that Israeli authority is using torture in a systematic way and a policy towards Palestinian political prisoners.

The Commission of Detainees Affairs calls all the international human rights organizations to immediately investigate in the circumstances of the torture of Samer Al-Arbeed, and calls the United Nations and international institutions to stand up to their responsibilities and hold Israel accountable for its ongoing crimes against Palestinian prisoners.