Page 5 - aruba-today-20240801

A5
WORLD NEWS Thursday 1 augusT 2024
U.N. report says Palestinians detained by Israeli authorities since

Oct. 7 faced torture, mistreatment

By JAMEY KEATEN held on security charges
Associated Press since the war broke out as
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. hu- a policy of deterrence.
man rights office issued a re- The ministry is headed by ul-
port Wednesday saying Pal- tranationalist minister Itamar
estinians detained by Israeli Ben Gvir, who has long called
authorities since the Oct. 7 for harsher punishment, in-
attacks faced waterboard- cluding the death penalty,
ing, sleep deprivation, elec- for Palestinians held on terror
tric shocks, dogs set on them, charges.
and other forms of torture and The report also said detain-
mistreatment. ees were taken from Gaza,
The report said Israel’s prison Israel and the West Bank, and
service held more than 9,400 says Israel has not provided
“security detainees” as of the information regarding the
end of June, and some have fate or whereabouts of many,
been held in secret without adding that the International
access to lawyers or respect Committee of the Red Cross
for their legal rights. has been denied access to
A summary of the report, facilities where they are held.
based on interviews with “Detainees said they were
former detainees and other held in cage-like facilities,
sources, decried a “stagger- stripped naked for prolonged
ing” number of detainees in- Israeli soldiers gather at the gate to the Sde Teiman military base, as people protest in support of periods, wearing only dia-
cluding men, women, chil- soldiers being questioned for detainee abuse, July 29, 2024. pers. Their testimonies told
dren, journalists and human Associated Press of prolonged blindfolding,
rights defenders and said Findings in the report, one of against humanity in the Gaza launched into all detainee deprivation of food, sleep
such practices raise concerns the most extensive of its kind, Strip and Israel. deaths in custody, it said. and water, and being sub-
about arbitrary detention. could be used by Internation- Authors of the report said its Israel’s Prison services did not jected to electric shocks and
“The testimonies gathered by al Criminal Court prosecutors content was shared with the respond to an Associated being burnt with cigarettes,”
my office and other entities who are looking into crimes Israeli government. Press request for comment. a summary of the report said.
indicate a range of appalling committed in connection In response to the report, the Israel’s prison authorities “Some detainees said dogs
acts, such as waterboarding with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks Israeli military said that abuse previously told the AP that were released on them, and
and the release of dogs on and Israel’s blistering ongoing of detainees was illegal and all Palestinian prisoners are others said they were sub-
detainees, amongst other military campaign in Gaza. against military orders. treated according to Israeli jected to waterboarding, or
acts, in flagrant violation of In May, the ICC’s chief pros- It said since the war began law. However, Israel’s Ministry that their hands were tied
international human rights ecutor sought arrest warrants there have been cases where of National Security, the body and they were suspended
law and international hu- for leaders of Israel and correctional staff have been in charge of prisons, says it from the ceiling,” it added.
manitarian law,” said U.N. Hamas, including Israeli Prime dismissed for violating military has actively made conditions “Some women and men also
Human Rights Chief Volker Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rules in their treatment of de- worse and purposefully over- spoke of sexual and gender-
Türk in a statement. over war crimes and crimes tainees. Investigations are crowded cells for Palestinians based violence.” q

Guinea court sentences former junta leader to 20 years in prison

over 2009 stadium massacre

By BOUBACAR DIALLO victims’ relatives testified in victions will not heal the Guinea and elsewhere that shot, crushed or knifed to
Associated Press the trial that started in No- wounds,” he said. justice is possible,” said Ta- death while some of the
CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — vember 2022, more than The demonstrators at the mara Aburamadan, inter- women were dragged
A Guinea court on Wednes- a decade after the mas- stadium in Sept. 2009 were national justice counsel at out from hiding and gang-
day sentenced former jun- sacre and under pressure protesting Camara’s plans Human Rights Watch. raped by uniformed men
ta leader Moussa “Dadis” from families and activists to run for president when Many of the victims in the over several days, witness-
Camara to 20 years in pris- demanding justice. soldiers opened fire on stadium massacre were es said.q
on after finding him guilty of Some of the victims’ rela- them and raped dozens of
crimes against humanity in tives lauded the verdict as women. The then-military
the 2009 stadium massacre justice at last while others leader had staged a coup
by the military that killed at said the penalty for Ca- the previous year.
least 157 people and left mara in particular was not The junta at the time said
dozens of women raped. enough. “The convictions “uncontrolled” elements
Guinea’s Criminal Court do not match the crimes. of the army carried out the
convicted Camara and Our sisters were raped, our rapes and killings. But Ca-
seven other high-ranking brothers massacred, bod- mara’s top aides were at
officials after a prolonged ies reported missing,” said the stadium and did noth-
trial on charges of mur- Safiatou Baldé, 25, a rela- ing to stop the massacre, a
der, kidnapping and rape tive of one of the victims. Human Rights Watch report
that were reclassified as Maimounatou Tounkara said.
“crimes against humanity” said a part of him died with Wednesday’s court deci-
on Wednesday. Four other his brother who was killed sion “sends a message loud Moussa “Dadis” Camara speaks upon his arrival from exile in
accused were acquitted. in the massacre. “I am still and clear to those respon- Conakry, Guinea Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021.
More than 100 survivors and bleeding and these con- sible for serious crimes in Associated Press