PA must end torture, arbitrary detention of Palestinians in West Bank, UN rights office demands

The UN Human Rights Office demands the Palestinian Authority end arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment of Palestinians, including journalists and children, citing detentions under an unconstitutional law and ignored court orders.

The UN Human Rights Office has demanded that the Palestinian Authority immediately end its use of arbitrary detention, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment against Palestinians in the West Bank. The office highlighted that dozens of Palestinians, including journalists, dissidents, and political activists, are being held under the pretext of "security reasons." Many are detained under a law that the Palestinian Supreme Constitutional Court declared unconstitutional in 2023—likely the Jordanian Crime Prevention Law of 1954. The office confirmed instances where individuals, including children, were held despite court orders for their release. Detainees reported torture methods such as stress positions, severe beatings, whippings, prolonged solitary confinement, and being suspended in the 'Shabeh' position. The UN demanded that all forms of torture and arbitrary detention stop immediately and that detainees be treated with humanity and dignity, with access to outdoor space, adequate food, medical care, and the right to challenge detention in court.