UN Experts Denounce Reports of Torture at Israel’s Sde Teiman Prison as Tip of Iceberg
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A group of UN human rights experts has condemned the world's “silence” on reports of torture and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees at Israel's Sde Teiman prison, describing the allegations of maltreatment and sexual violence as "only the tip of the iceberg."
Ten independent UN human rights experts stated they have received "substantiated reports of widespread abuse, torture, sexual assault, and rape" in Israeli prisons.
"Countless testimonies by men and women describe detainees in cage-like enclosures, tied to beds blindfolded and in diapers, stripped naked, deprived of adequate healthcare, food, water, and sleep, electrocutions including on their genitals, blackmail, and cigarette burns," they said in a statement.
The experts detailed further abuses, including "loud music played until their ears bled, attacks by dogs, waterboarding, suspension from ceilings, and severe sexual and gender-based violence."
They called on the international community to increase pressure on Israel, highlighting that "allegations of gang rape of a Palestinian detainee – now shockingly supported by voices in the Israeli political establishment and society – provide irrefutable evidence that the moral compass is lost."
The experts urged the UN Human Rights Council to launch an inquiry into Israeli facilities holding Palestinians.
Prisoners' affairs groups reported the death of a Palestinian detainee from Gaza at the notorious Sde Teiman Prison due to torture.
"Omar Junaid was one of scores of Gazan detainees who died of torture at Israeli prisons," stated the Commission of Detainees' Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society in a joint release.
Junaid was arrested with his brother on Dec. 24, 2023, by Israeli forces. His brother was released four months later, while Junaid was pronounced dead on June 17, 2023, by the HaMoked Center for the Defense of the Individual.
Since the Israeli war on Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 21 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli prisons.
Reports from international human rights organizations indicate that detainees from Gaza have been tortured at the detention facility, leading to at least 21 Palestinian detainees deaths.
Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, Israel continues its genocidal offensive on Gaza, facing international condemnation.
More than 39,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been brutally killed, and over 91,600 injured, according to local health authorities.
Nearly ten months into the Israeli war, large areas of Gaza are in ruins, suffering from a blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide and ordered it to halt its military operation in Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians sought refuge before it was invaded on May 6.