CURRENT
INFORMATION
ABOUT DETENTIONS
AT BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY
Statistics from 4 June 1997.
DETENTIONS - INTERROGATION - ADMINISTRATIVE DETENTION
STATISTICS FROM OTHER MONTHS
ISRAEL:
- No. students in Israeli prisons -- 41
- New detentions by Israel in May 1997 -- 4
- No. of student prisoners released by Israel in May -- 4
- Length of average detention -- 32 months
- No. of prisoners detained for longer than six months -- 33
- No. of prisoners detained for less than two months -- 4
- Total no. of political prisoners held by Israel -- 3,300
PNA:
- No. students in Palestinian prisons -- 1
- New detentions by PNA in May 1997 -- 0
- Length of average detention -- 5 months
- No. of prisoners detained for longer than six months -- 0
- Total no. of political prisoners held by PNA -- 445
ISRAEL
- No. students interogated during May -- 1
- Average length of interrogation -- 6 days
- Methods of interrogation reported --
- position abuse (shackeled to a kindergarten chair, squatting)
- hooding with filthy sack
- sleep deprivation for periods lasting more that 24 hours
- threats against self and family
- solitary confinement for protracted periods
MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT
ISRAELI INTERROGATION
On any given day about 10 Birzeit University students can be found in prison as a result of an order issued by an Israeli military officer. The order does not contain charges or explanations. It does not have to be ruled upon in a court. Israeli military law permits a military commander to imprison a Palestinian for a renewable period of up to 12 months for reasons of protecting public security.
This procedure has been come to be called "administrative" detention (AD), as the detainee is detained by an administrative procedure without court involvement. Such a policy stands in direct violation of internationally accepted standards articulated in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
- No. students in AD on 1 June 1997 -- 9
- No. students placed in AD in May 1997 -- 2
- No. students issued renewed orders in May 1997 -- 1
- No. students released from AD in May 1997 -- 1
- Student held for longest time in AD -- Ahmad Ibrahim Said (12 months)
- No. of students in AD for six months or more -- 5
- Total no. of administrative detainees held by Israel -- 250-270
MORE INFORMATION ON ADMINSTRATIVE DETENTION
WHAT'S NEW? - CAMPAIGNS - CONTACT US!
BIRZEIT HUMAN RIGHTS ARCHIVE - BZU PRESS RELEASE ARCHIVE - HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
BIRZEIT UNIVERSITY HOMEPAGE - HUMAN RIGHTS WEBSITES IN PALESTINE.
Page prepared by the Human Rights Action Project, Birzeit University (Palestine). Comments to hrap@admin.birzeit.edu.
Last update: March 1997.