Justice For All Canada Condemns Israel for Human Rights Violations at Sde Teiman Detention Facility and Associated Hospital
June 12th, 2024
Justice For All Canada expresses its deep condemnation following revelations from investigations by international media and rights groups, which have uncovered gruesome details of abuse, torture, sexual assaults, and mistreatment of Palestinians held at Israel’s Sde Teiman detention facility and associated hospital.
The exposé, based on interviews with former detainees, Israeli military officers, doctors, and soldiers who served at the site, paints a troubling picture of the conditions endured by the roughly 4,000 Palestinian detainees who have passed through the facility since October 7. Sde Teiman, an army base in southern Israel, has been used as a makeshift interrogation site where most Gazans captured by the occupation army have been brought for initial questioning.
Former detainees described severe abuse at the Sde Teiman facility, including beatings, electric shocks, humiliating treatment, and rape. Eight former detainees, confirmed by the military, reported being punched, kicked, and beaten with batons, rifle butts, and a hand-held metal detector. Two detainees suffered broken ribs from these assaults, with one being kneed in the chest and another kicked and beaten with a rifle. Seven detainees were forced to wear only a diaper during interrogations, and three reported receiving electric shocks.
Of the 4,000 detainees held at Sde Teiman since October, a concerning number of 35 have died either at the site or shortly after being transferred to nearby civilian hospitals.
Under new Israeli legislation, detainees are classified as “unlawful combatants” and can be held for up to 75 days without judicial permission and 90 days without access to a lawyer or a trial. Their location is withheld from rights groups and even the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is a blatant contravention of international law, including the Geneva Conventions that mandate the humane treatment of detainees. This practice of arbitrary detention further exacerbates the violation of their fundamental rights.
Human rights groups argue that the severe rights violations at Sde Teiman render the ongoing detention of prisoners unconstitutional and should prevent further incarcerations at the facility.
Justice For All, Canada demands the Canadian government to publicly condemn Israel for these flagrant violations of human rights and international law. The treatment of detainees at Sde Teiman clearly violates:
Canada, as a nation that upholds the principles of justice and human rights, has a moral obligation to speak out against violations of these principles, wherever they occur.
The Canadian government must take a firm stance and call for an immediate end to these human rights abuses. We urge the government to leverage its international partnerships and influence to demand transparency and accountability from Israel regarding the treatment of Palestinian detainees.
Justice For All, Canada stands in solidarity with the victims of these human rights violations and calls on all nations and human rights organizations to join in condemning these atrocities and working towards justice and humane treatment for all detainees.
References
New York Times. "Inside an Israeli Army Base for Gaza Detainees." June 6, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/06/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-detention-base.html
Associated Press. "Israel holds hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza in harsh conditions at desert detention facility." June 6, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-war-hamas-palestinians-sde-teiman-3ca025f6ca412ce07c0c41cf11c52c6f
Middle East Monitor. "Israel's use of rape against Palestinian detainees from Gaza exposed." June 7, 2024. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240607-israels-use-of-rape-against-palestinian-detainees-from-gaza-exposed/
Physicians for Human Rights Israel. “Medical Ethics of Detention Residents in Gaza since the Start of the War in 2023.” April 2023, https://www.phr.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5954_medical_ethics_Report_Eng.pdf
"Addressing Mass Incarceration, Ill-Treatment, and Weaponization of Emergency Prison Law for Palestinian Prisoners." April 2024. https://www.justiceforallcanada.org/uploads/4/6/8/9/46897513/jfacreport__addressing_mass_incarceration__april_2024_-min.pdf
Haaretz. “We Fight to Save Our Gazan Patients, Even as They Lay Handcuffed and Blindfolded.” 21 Apr. 2024, https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2024-04-21/ty-article-opinion/.premium/we-fight-to-save-our-gazan-patients-even-as-they-lay-handcuffed-and-blindfolded/0000018e-ecbf-dd51-a79e-febf6a550000.
Haaretz. "Sources: IDF Report Finds Two Gazans Died After Being Beaten En Route to Israeli Prison." 28 May 2024, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-28/ty-article/.premium/sources-idf-report-finds-two-gazans-died-after-being-beaten-en-route-to-israeli-prison/0000018f-bbbb-df3d-abbf-bffb68980000.
"Israel's Top Court to Discuss Closure of Israeli Detention Center for Inmates From Gaza." Haaretz, 27 May 2024, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-27/ty-article/.premium/israels-top-court-to-discuss-closure-of-israeli-detention-center-for-inmates-from-gaza/0000018f-ba2d-d33c-a5bf-ff3d2b1e0000.
Justice For All Canada expresses its deep condemnation following revelations from investigations by international media and rights groups, which have uncovered gruesome details of abuse, torture, sexual assaults, and mistreatment of Palestinians held at Israel’s Sde Teiman detention facility and associated hospital.
The exposé, based on interviews with former detainees, Israeli military officers, doctors, and soldiers who served at the site, paints a troubling picture of the conditions endured by the roughly 4,000 Palestinian detainees who have passed through the facility since October 7. Sde Teiman, an army base in southern Israel, has been used as a makeshift interrogation site where most Gazans captured by the occupation army have been brought for initial questioning.
Former detainees described severe abuse at the Sde Teiman facility, including beatings, electric shocks, humiliating treatment, and rape. Eight former detainees, confirmed by the military, reported being punched, kicked, and beaten with batons, rifle butts, and a hand-held metal detector. Two detainees suffered broken ribs from these assaults, with one being kneed in the chest and another kicked and beaten with a rifle. Seven detainees were forced to wear only a diaper during interrogations, and three reported receiving electric shocks.
Of the 4,000 detainees held at Sde Teiman since October, a concerning number of 35 have died either at the site or shortly after being transferred to nearby civilian hospitals.
Under new Israeli legislation, detainees are classified as “unlawful combatants” and can be held for up to 75 days without judicial permission and 90 days without access to a lawyer or a trial. Their location is withheld from rights groups and even the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is a blatant contravention of international law, including the Geneva Conventions that mandate the humane treatment of detainees. This practice of arbitrary detention further exacerbates the violation of their fundamental rights.
Human rights groups argue that the severe rights violations at Sde Teiman render the ongoing detention of prisoners unconstitutional and should prevent further incarcerations at the facility.
Justice For All, Canada demands the Canadian government to publicly condemn Israel for these flagrant violations of human rights and international law. The treatment of detainees at Sde Teiman clearly violates:
- The Geneva Conventions: These international treaties establish standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The detention conditions and denial of basic rights to detainees violate Common Article 3 and Article 5 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which guarantee humane treatment and judicial safeguards for detainees.
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 5 of the Declaration prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. The reports from Sde Teiman indicate a clear breach of these protections.
- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): Article 9 of the ICCPR prohibits arbitrary detention, stating that "no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention" and that anyone who is arrested shall be informed of the reasons for their arrest and promptly informed of any charges against them.
Canada, as a nation that upholds the principles of justice and human rights, has a moral obligation to speak out against violations of these principles, wherever they occur.
The Canadian government must take a firm stance and call for an immediate end to these human rights abuses. We urge the government to leverage its international partnerships and influence to demand transparency and accountability from Israel regarding the treatment of Palestinian detainees.
Justice For All, Canada stands in solidarity with the victims of these human rights violations and calls on all nations and human rights organizations to join in condemning these atrocities and working towards justice and humane treatment for all detainees.
References
New York Times. "Inside an Israeli Army Base for Gaza Detainees." June 6, 2024. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/06/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-detention-base.html
Associated Press. "Israel holds hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza in harsh conditions at desert detention facility." June 6, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-war-hamas-palestinians-sde-teiman-3ca025f6ca412ce07c0c41cf11c52c6f
Middle East Monitor. "Israel's use of rape against Palestinian detainees from Gaza exposed." June 7, 2024. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240607-israels-use-of-rape-against-palestinian-detainees-from-gaza-exposed/
Physicians for Human Rights Israel. “Medical Ethics of Detention Residents in Gaza since the Start of the War in 2023.” April 2023, https://www.phr.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/5954_medical_ethics_Report_Eng.pdf
"Addressing Mass Incarceration, Ill-Treatment, and Weaponization of Emergency Prison Law for Palestinian Prisoners." April 2024. https://www.justiceforallcanada.org/uploads/4/6/8/9/46897513/jfacreport__addressing_mass_incarceration__april_2024_-min.pdf
Haaretz. “We Fight to Save Our Gazan Patients, Even as They Lay Handcuffed and Blindfolded.” 21 Apr. 2024, https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2024-04-21/ty-article-opinion/.premium/we-fight-to-save-our-gazan-patients-even-as-they-lay-handcuffed-and-blindfolded/0000018e-ecbf-dd51-a79e-febf6a550000.
Haaretz. "Sources: IDF Report Finds Two Gazans Died After Being Beaten En Route to Israeli Prison." 28 May 2024, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-28/ty-article/.premium/sources-idf-report-finds-two-gazans-died-after-being-beaten-en-route-to-israeli-prison/0000018f-bbbb-df3d-abbf-bffb68980000.
"Israel's Top Court to Discuss Closure of Israeli Detention Center for Inmates From Gaza." Haaretz, 27 May 2024, https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-05-27/ty-article/.premium/israels-top-court-to-discuss-closure-of-israeli-detention-center-for-inmates-from-gaza/0000018f-ba2d-d33c-a5bf-ff3d2b1e0000.