Soroti Penyiksaan, Pakar PBB Tuntut Israel Bebaskan Dokter Palestina yang Ditahan Sejak 2024

JAKARTA - United Nations experts on Tuesday called for the immediate release of Hussam Abu Safiya, a Palestinian doctor from the Gaza Strip detained by Israel, warning of the torture and serious health risks he suffered while in custody.

"We have received reports that Dr. Abu Safiya has been subjected to torture and other cruel and degrading treatment, and that his health condition remains poor," the experts said in a statement, Daily Sabah reported from Anadolu (25/3).

The statement was signed by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Physical and Mental Health Tialeng Mofokeng, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection of Human Rights in the Fight against Terrorism Ben Saul.

Safiya, former director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been held by Israel since December 27, 2024, under Israel's illegal combatant law, even though she is a civilian medical practitioner.

Experts say his detention appears "highly arbitrary" and does not meet international standards, including the Mandela Rules, which require access to health care for prisoners.

"He has been systematically denied (to) essential medical examinations and treatments," they said, warning that his life and well-being were "in grave danger."

They also stressed that all countries have an obligation to protect health workers and ensure the rights of prisoners, including freedom from torture and access to medical care.

Experts highlighted violence against health workers and facilities in Gaza, saying violations continued despite a ceasefire.

"Israel must release Dr. Abu Safiya and all health workers, and ensure they have access to decent medical care," they said, urging the international community to act.

Meanwhile, Gheed Qassem, Abu Safiya's lawyer, told AFP last year he visited the 52-year-old pediatrician on March 19 at Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.

"He suffered a lot," she said.

"He is exhausted from the torture, pressure, and humiliation he has experienced to force him to admit to acts he did not commit," he said.

The Israeli military did not respond to an AFP request for comment.

Following his arrest during a December 27 raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital - an operation Israel claimed targeted a Hamas "terrorist hub" - Abu Safiya was held for two weeks at the Sde Teiman Military Base in the Negev Desert.

There, he allegedly suffered "beatings, ill-treatment, and torture" during interrogations, Qassem said.

He was then transferred to Ofer Prison, where he spent 25 days in a cramped cell and faced further interrogations, according to his lawyer.

Qassem said Abu Safiya had been branded an "illegal fighter" by Israeli authorities, allowing his detention indefinitely under a law adopted in 2002 that applies to members suspected of being "enemy forces."

The case has been classified as secret, so his legal team cannot access important documents.

It is known that since the latest conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, Israel has detained around 5,000 Gazans, some of whom were later released in a hostage exchange deal.