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In Commemoration of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
The Palestinian Coalition Against Torture, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, and Partner Institutions Hold a Roundtable Discussion
"The Occupation Authorities Have Practiced All Forms of Torture and Crimes Against Male and Female Prisoners in Prisons and Detention Centers"
On Wednesday morning, June 25, 2025, the Palestinian Coalition Against Torture, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, and several partner institutions organized a roundtable discussion at the Martyr Ziad Abu Ein Hall at the Commission’s headquarters in Al-Bireh, in commemoration of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, observed annually on June 26.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Independent Commission for Human Rights, the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, Hurriyat Center for Civil Rights, the Higher Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs, Addameer, SHAMS Center, Istiklal Center and JLAC.
The discussion began with remarks by Minister Raed Abu Al-Hummus, who spoke about the Commission’s role in monitoring all matters related to male and female detainees in prisons and detention centers. He emphasized the documentation of grave crimes that have turned Palestinian freedom fighters into victims due to the occupation’s ongoing policies of torture and abuse—especially dangerous since the beginning of the genocide on October 7, 2023.
He stressed the Commission’s full readiness to maintain ongoing cooperation with all institutions and partners in serving Palestinian prisoners and amplifying their voices and suffering everywhere. He added that this is a shared responsibility in confronting the occupation’s policies of execution, beatings, torture, starvation, enforced disappearance, and other dangerous forms of racist retaliation.
Dr. Khader Rasras, Director General of the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, spoke about the formation, mission, and membership of the Palestinian Coalition Against Torture, emphasizing that the coalition is open to any institution that meets the membership requirements and principles of its work.
Hilmi Al-Araj, Director General of the Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights (Hurriyat), highlighted the importance of documenting torture against prisoners, given its value in providing official evidence to pursue and hold occupation leaders accountable. He noted the need to learn from past neglect in documentation efforts over the decades.
Ameen Shoman, Head of the Higher Commission for Prisoners’ Affairs, emphasized the importance of mobilizing the Palestinian public to support male and female prisoners and ending the current state of stagnation in popular activism. He stressed that ensuring the visibility of their cause in all its dimensions guarantees their continued presence in public life, and that unity behind their cause is essential.
Islam Al-Tamimi, Head of Capacity Building and Advocacy at the Independent Commission for Human Rights, drew attention to the dangers of psychological and emotional torture, sexual violence, military exploitation, and testing on prisoners. He stressed the importance of rights-based documentation, particularly using updated legal methods.
Tala Nasser, a representative of Addameer, proposed submitting a comprehensive case file in the name of the Coalition Against Torture and the Commission of Detainees to the International Criminal Court, to demand the issuance of official arrest warrants for prison directors responsible for the torture that has led to the death of dozens of prisoners.
The meeting included interventions by Amal Al-Faqih, Executive Director of SHAMS Center; Anas Bawatna, Awareness Coordinator at the Independent Commission; Jamil Saadeh, Director of the Legal Unit at the Detainees Commission; Majed Al-Arouri, Executive Director of Istiklal; Jalila Arshid, a representative of the Jerusalem Center for Legal Studies; and Hani Salameh, Head of Community Engagement at the Commission.
They revealed the occurrence of assassinations inside prisons because of extreme torture and emphasized the importance of shifting from internal institutional dialogue to organized institutional action aimed at international bodies. They also presented statistics and facts revealing an increase in torture, noting that 72 executions have been recorded since the beginning of the genocide—cases with fully documented data.
