UN Special Reporter Says Israel Holds Human Rights Defenders In The West Bank Without Court, Beaten And Humiliated

Israeli military in the West Bank. (Source: IDF)

JAKARTA - UN special rapporteur for human rights defender Mary Lawlor on Wednesday said Israeli authorities were continuing to target human rights defenders in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

He pointed out that Israel is targeting human rights defenders through prolonged administrative detention, without charges or courts, where they are subjected to insults and persecution, calling for an end to these practices.

"Five human rights defenders, including three women, were detained between October 2023 and March 2024, both from their homes and after they returned from abroad. The administrative detention order period ranged from four to six months," he said, quoted from WAFA July 24.

He said four of the five detainees were repeatedly slapped, beaten, and humiliated. They were transferred from one prison to another within a day or two and forced to sign documents in Hebrew that they could not understand.

Meanwhile, female prisoners are being held in dirty cells in dire conditions and facing adequate malnutrition, Lawlor said.

The UN Special Reporter asked Israeli authorities to respect the rights of detainees to a fair trial or immediately release the remaining human rights defenders, along with dozens of other human rights defenders detained for their peaceful activities.