Dear Mukto-Mona members,

Please read and sign the following urgent petition sponsored by Amnesty
International. Send this petition to as many people as you can. Your
cooperation is appreciated. The url for the petition is:
http://www.stoptorture.org/report/index.htm

Regards,
Mahbubul Karim (Sohel)
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Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of more than one thousand
Palestinians detained by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), during the past week
in refugee camps and towns in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Some
Palestinians have been reportedly tortured by being beaten or held for
prolonged periods in painful positions. All detainees are reportedly being
held in conditions which amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. A
Military Order has just been issued denying access of detainees to lawyers.

Detainees are being held at a number of IDF military camps and settlements,
but the IDF will not reveal the names of those they have arrested and where
they are located. In violation of international human rights treaties, such
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the
Convention against Torture or Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment, to which Israel is a State party, detainees have been held in
conditions which constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment. Those arrested and released have also reported being threatened
and beaten by members of the IDF who detained them. They have been
handcuffed for extended periods of time, and sometimes denied food, water
and permission to use the toilet. Despite the cold nights, many detainees
and sleeping on cold slabs and most spent the first night without being
provided with a blanket.

Under international standards, any person who is arrested, detained or
imprisoned has the right to inform, or have the authorities notify, their
family or friends. The information must include the fact of their arrest or
detention and the place where they are being kept in custody. The families
of the detainees, have not received such information and do not know whether
their relatives are dead or alive, following unconfirmed reports that some
Palestinians taken by the IDF were extrajudicially executed.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Since 29 March, the IDF reoccupied the town of Ramallah and other towns,
including Qalqiliya, Tulkarem and Jenin. Tanks and snipers have been used in
clashes between the IDF and Palestinian armed groups. Civilians have been
unlawfully killed and there have been reports of extrajudicial executions.
The destruction of communications systems, curfews on residents and the
closure of centres to journalists and other external observers, has meant
that the truth or falsity of such reports cannot be investigated.

Ambulances have been shot at and medical workers and journalists targeted.
Many residents fear leaving their homes at any time, even when curfews are
not in force as shots have also been fired at people in the street. The IDF
has occupied houses, forcing the occupants to stay for days in one or two
rooms. The IDF have wantonly damaged houses, cars and buildings, including
apartments they have occupied and there have been reports of looting. The
offices of human rights organizations have been forcibly entered by the IDF,
who have ransacked filing cabinets and smashed computers.

Read and Sign the petition at:
http://www.stoptorture.org/report/index.htm






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