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Despite international law prohibitions against torture and other forms of abuse and ill-treatment, Israel practices it with impunity. Moreover, isolating Gaza under siege constitutes illegal torture and collective punishment. In fact, the Convention against Torture (CAT) calls "severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental," forms of torture.
Israel's blockade is described as causing a "protracted human dignity crisis," characterized particularly by "degradation in the living conditions of the population." As such, it constitutes collective cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, a prima facie CAT violation.
In fact, the independent UN Committee against Torture acknowledges that blockading Gaza falls within CAT's purview because of its collective harm in violation of other human rights laws. Nonetheless, Israel continues abusing Gazans and other Palestinians with impunity.
Palestinians Politically Detained
The Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association presented its latest quarterly report, covering the period from April 15 - July 15.
Based on Israeli Prison Service statistics (very possibly inaccurate), it documented 5,554 political prisoners, including:
-- 229 administrative detainees, including four women and 14 Palestinian Legislative Council (the Palestinian Authority's parliament) members;
-- 35 women;
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