Israel/OPT
06.07.01
Urgent Interventions
Israel: arbitrary arrest, incommunicado detention and torture of Mr. al-Rahman
Case ISR 060701
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Israel.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Al-Haq, a member of the OMCT network, of the arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention of Mr. Mahammad Ahmed Abd al-Rahman, in Israel.
According to the information received, on April 13th, 2001, 38 year-old Mr. Al-Rahman, a resident of Bethlehem, was arbitrarily arrested by the Israeli authorities as he was leaving for Jordan to work on his studies. Mr. al-Rahman is currently employed by the Al-Quds Open University in Bethlehem, but is working on his doctoral dissertation through Jordan University.
According to the information received, Mr. al-Rahman has been held for the last three months by the Israeli authorities, under the suspicion that he is a member of Islamic Jihad, and he has been accused of carrying letters to and from Islamic Jihad activists in the West Bank and Jordan. Mr. al-Rahman has reportedly appeared before a judge on several occasions, but no evidence has been given and no witnesses have been called upon to testify, and consequently no charges have been brought against Mr. al-Rahman. His lawyers have been informed that he was arrested based on information from intelligence sources, and that he is being held on “secret evidence” that cannot be aired publicly.
Mr. al-Rahman reportedly testified during the hearings to having been subjected to torture during his detention, including extended periods of interrogation while handcuffed to a chair with his hands behind his back. It is thought that the aim of the interrogation is to force him to make false confessions, upon which the prosecution is hoping to base its case against Mr. al-Rahman. He has not thus far offered any confession, despite the interrogation, which has meant that the court keeps remanding him back to prison, with a further court hearing being scheduled. Mr. al-Rahman’s wife was reportedly arrested for two hours, when visiting him during one of the court hearings, in order to further apply pressure on him, causing him to collapse and injured his head. He has also reportedly been held in a collaborator cell for two weeks during his detention, to try to extract a confession from him, but has since been transferred to Maskabiya Detention Centre (Russian Compound) in Jerusalem.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about Mr. al-Rahman’s physical and psychological integrity, escpecially in light of the alleged use torture used by the Israeli authorities in order to force him to make false confessions.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Israel urging them to:
- take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. al-Rahman;
- order his immediate release in the absence of valid legal charges or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
- order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his arrest in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
- guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
- Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, 3 Kaplan Street, Jerusalem 91007, Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2)566 48 38 / 691 79 15 E-mail: pm@pmo.gov.il or feedback@pmo.gov.il
- Meir Shitrit, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, 29 Salah al-Din Street, Jerusalem 91029, State of Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2) 62 8 54 38 or Fax: ++ 972 2 628 8618 Email: sar@justice.gov.il
- Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of Defense, Ministry of Defense, 7 "A" Street, Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel. Fax:(+972-3)691 69 40, e-mail: sar@mod.gov.il
- Eli Yishai, Minister of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Fax: 00972 2 670 1411 Email: sar@moin.gov.il
- Minister of Police, Ministry of Police, PO Box 18182, 3 Sheikh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala, Jerusalem 91181, State of Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2)582 67 69
- Shimon Peres, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fax:(+ 972 2) 530 3704, E-mail: sar@mofa.gov.il
- The Supreme Court of Justice, Kiryat Ben Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 652 71 18
- Uzi Landau, Minister of Internal Security, Ministry of Internal Security P.O Box 18182, 3
- Sheirkh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala jerusalem, 91181, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 582 67 69, E-mail : sar@mops.gov.il
Please also write to the embassies of Israel in your respective country.
Geneva, July 6th, 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Israel.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by Al-Haq, a member of the OMCT network, of the arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detention of Mr. Mahammad Ahmed Abd al-Rahman, in Israel.
According to the information received, on April 13th, 2001, 38 year-old Mr. Al-Rahman, a resident of Bethlehem, was arbitrarily arrested by the Israeli authorities as he was leaving for Jordan to work on his studies. Mr. al-Rahman is currently employed by the Al-Quds Open University in Bethlehem, but is working on his doctoral dissertation through Jordan University.
According to the information received, Mr. al-Rahman has been held for the last three months by the Israeli authorities, under the suspicion that he is a member of Islamic Jihad, and he has been accused of carrying letters to and from Islamic Jihad activists in the West Bank and Jordan. Mr. al-Rahman has reportedly appeared before a judge on several occasions, but no evidence has been given and no witnesses have been called upon to testify, and consequently no charges have been brought against Mr. al-Rahman. His lawyers have been informed that he was arrested based on information from intelligence sources, and that he is being held on “secret evidence” that cannot be aired publicly.
Mr. al-Rahman reportedly testified during the hearings to having been subjected to torture during his detention, including extended periods of interrogation while handcuffed to a chair with his hands behind his back. It is thought that the aim of the interrogation is to force him to make false confessions, upon which the prosecution is hoping to base its case against Mr. al-Rahman. He has not thus far offered any confession, despite the interrogation, which has meant that the court keeps remanding him back to prison, with a further court hearing being scheduled. Mr. al-Rahman’s wife was reportedly arrested for two hours, when visiting him during one of the court hearings, in order to further apply pressure on him, causing him to collapse and injured his head. He has also reportedly been held in a collaborator cell for two weeks during his detention, to try to extract a confession from him, but has since been transferred to Maskabiya Detention Centre (Russian Compound) in Jerusalem.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about Mr. al-Rahman’s physical and psychological integrity, escpecially in light of the alleged use torture used by the Israeli authorities in order to force him to make false confessions.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Israel urging them to:
- take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. al-Rahman;
- order his immediate release in the absence of valid legal charges or, if such charges exist, bring him before an impartial and competent tribunal and guarantee his procedural rights at all times;
- order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of his arrest in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
- guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
- Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, 3 Kaplan Street, Jerusalem 91007, Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2)566 48 38 / 691 79 15 E-mail: pm@pmo.gov.il or feedback@pmo.gov.il
- Meir Shitrit, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, 29 Salah al-Din Street, Jerusalem 91029, State of Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2) 62 8 54 38 or Fax: ++ 972 2 628 8618 Email: sar@justice.gov.il
- Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of Defense, Ministry of Defense, 7 "A" Street, Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel. Fax:(+972-3)691 69 40, e-mail: sar@mod.gov.il
- Eli Yishai, Minister of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Fax: 00972 2 670 1411 Email: sar@moin.gov.il
- Minister of Police, Ministry of Police, PO Box 18182, 3 Sheikh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala, Jerusalem 91181, State of Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2)582 67 69
- Shimon Peres, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fax:(+ 972 2) 530 3704, E-mail: sar@mofa.gov.il
- The Supreme Court of Justice, Kiryat Ben Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 652 71 18
- Uzi Landau, Minister of Internal Security, Ministry of Internal Security P.O Box 18182, 3
- Sheirkh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala jerusalem, 91181, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 582 67 69, E-mail : sar@mops.gov.il
Please also write to the embassies of Israel in your respective country.
Geneva, July 6th, 2001
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.