 NEWS
| New report by PCATI: “Shackling as a Form of Torture and Abuse” In advance of the UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims that is marked throughout the world on the 26th of June, PCATI launched a major report titled "Shackling as a Form of Torture and Abuse". The report, written by PCATI attorney Samah Elkhatib-Ayoub, is based on hundreds of cases that reached PCATI and reveals that the authorities in Israel – and primarily the Israeli army and the General Security Service (GSS) – routinely shackle detainees in painful and humiliating manners that in a number of instances rise to the level of torture. Although the main victims of this practice are Palestinian ‘security’ detainees, the culture of contempt for the dignity of detainees gravitates inward towards Israeli society itself at times causing harm to detainees who belong to other groups. The report also reveals that painful shackling can result in harm to the health of the detainee and on occasion to permanent injury. The report received much media attention; for example, with the prominent YNET news website. | PCATI appealed to the High Court of Justice: End the use of shackling as a tool of interrogation Subsequent to the severe findings of the above report, PCATI, on 5 July 2009, petitioned the HCJ, demanding that it order the GSS to refrain from using shackling as an interrogation tool. Particularly, the petition demands that the GSS refrain from shackling interrogees in positions that cause pain and suffering. PCATI requested, inter alia, that the Court prohibit the use of the following positions: the shackling of detainees on the upper arms or forearms ("high shackling"), the shackling of detainees behind the back, or restraining the hands of the interrogee on the armrests of the chair in a way that does not allow for movement ("routine shackling"). The petition was written by PCATI Attorneys Samah Elkhatib-Ayoub and Bana Shoughry-Badarne. For additional information The full petition (in Hebrew) | HCJ rejected the contempt of court Petition filed by PCATI, ACRI and Hamoked On 6 July 2009, the High Court of Justice rejected the contempt of court motion filed by PCATI, HaMoked and ACRI on the violation of the HCJ judgement on torture of September 1999. The panel of Justices, headed by Chief Justice Dorit Beinish, ruled that the contempt of court procedure is not the appropriate one for clarifying claims of violation of court decisions whose nature is "declarative". The motion was filed, pro bono, on behalf of the organizations by Adv. Avigdor Feldman. For additional information on the petition The HCJ decision (In Hebrew) | The High Court of Justice overruled the decision of the military Judge Advocate General in the Ni'lin shooting On 1 July 2009, the High Court of Justice upheld a petition filed by several human rights organizations. The Court determined that the decision of the military Judge Advocate General to prosecute the battalion commander and the soldier involved in the shooting of a bound detainee in Ni'lin on light offenses is highly unreasonable and ruled in favor of changing the indictments, so as to reflect the gravity of the offenses. The organizations, B'Tselem, ACRI, PCATI and Yesh Din, stated that it is their hope hope that in the future, court intervention will not be necessary for military law-enforcement agencies to convey to soldiers and commanders an unequivocal message to safeguard human life and dignity. | Is this us? What happened in Gaza?
Rabbis for Human Rights, together with PCATI and "Shovrim Shtika" ("Breaking the Silence") launched a campaign aimed at the Israeli public demanding an independent investigation of the "Cast Lead" Gaza offensive. |  |
| Public Events | Campaign in commemoration of the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture During the week of 26 June 2009, the date that marks the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, PCATI conducted its annual campaign which this year focused on "Shackling as a Form of Torture and Abuse". The week before the International Day PCATI launched a banner campaign on the Ha'aretz website. Those who clicked the banner were connected to information about the week's events and to a video (in Hebrew) we produced with Social TV. During the week, a special program produced by PCATI was broadcasted on "All for Peace Radio", and additional programming reffered to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and to PCATI's activities. Our collaboration with "All for Peace Radio" continues with a weekly program, "Music, Politics and All that is In Between" which is produced and presented by PCATI's Executive Director, Dr. Ishai Menuchin. The program is broadcasted on Fridays from 5 – 6 PM, and is rebroadcasted on Sundays between 9 – 10 AM. The program may also be heard on the station's website. On June 25 PCATI organized an event in Tel Aviv in which six notable Israel Prize laureates, Shulamit Aloni, Alex Levac, Prof. Ram Loevy, Prof. Yehuda Judd Ne'eman, Ruth Reznick, and Prof. Yonah Rosenfeld, addressed the issue of torture in Israel from their unique perspectives. PCATI Attorney Samah Elkhatib-Ayoub, who wrote the report, presented its findings. On June 26, PCATI staff, board members and supporters gathered in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem for a mass public "Shackling". Participants were shackled with metal or plastic manacles and photographed by prominent Israeli photo journalist, Miki Kratsman. The photos will be exhibited in a Tel Aviv art gallery and on the internet. The Social TV film "Chains of Humiliation" which includes clips of PCATI's "shackling" event can be viewed here (in Hebrew). 
The publication of PCATI's painful shackling report was also echoed at the Knesset. MK Ilan Gilon gave a "one minute" speech in the Knesset plenary on the report and the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. He also organized a meeting between PCATI and several Knesset members from various parties. | Additional events and the second "Investigating the Media" program At the beginning of July, PCATI took part in the "One Shekel Festival" events in Jerusalem's Katamonim neighborhood and in the city of Lod. PCATI staff members erected an information table at each event, distributed material and interacted with many of the festival's attendees. and the Haifa Cinematheque. At this event director and Israel Prize laureate Ram Loevy's film "The Film that Wasn't" was screened followed by a talk by Professor Loevy and PCATI's Executive Director, Dr. Ishai Menuchin. | PCATI testifies before the Goldstone Commission On 7 July 2009, PCATI Attorney Majd Bader testified before the Goldstone Commission, the UN commission charged with investigating violations by all sides of international humanitarian law in relation to the conflict in Gaza and particularly during the "Cast Lead" operation. Attorney Bader's testimony can be viewed in Arabic and English (under the name of Attorney Bader) on the UN Human Rights Council website. A summary of his testimony is also available on PCATI's website. Beforehand, at the end of June, seven human rights organizations, including PCATI, made a submission to the Commission. In the submission, which included testimonies of violations of human rights by Israel, the organizations demanded an investigation of allegations of the violation of the laws of war by both Israel and the Hamas emphasizing that the "Cast Lead events" can not be isolated from the closure on Gaza. The organizations, therefore, asked the Commission to also investigate the closure policy before, during and following the operation. |
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