The Arab League demands an end to alleged abuses at Ramla Prison, unrestricted Red Cross access and the release of sick and injured Palestinian detainees…reports Asian Lite News Desk
The Arab League has condemned what it described as systematic torture and repression of Palestinian detainees at Ramla Prison in Israel, alleging that several prisoners were burned and injured.
In a statement on Sunday, the organisation said the reported treatment of detainees in the prison’s Rakafet wing amounted to a serious violation of international humanitarian and human rights law.
It cited the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, as well as the Convention against Torture and international principles governing the treatment of prisoners.
The Arab League described the alleged practices as crimes against humanity and called for sanctions against those responsible.
It demanded an immediate end to what it called repressive measures against Palestinian prisoners, insisting that all detainees must be treated in accordance with international human rights standards.
The organisation also called for the International Committee of the Red Cross to be given unrestricted access to the prison, the immediate release of sick and injured detainees, and an end to arbitrary detention.
The statement comes amid continuing concerns over the number of Palestinians held in Israeli detention facilities.
A United Nations report published in May said more than 9,000 Palestinians were being held in Israeli detention, with around 40% in administrative detention.
The figures included approximately 3,200 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and 1,300 people from Gaza held under the classification of “unlawful combatants”. An estimated 2,200 Palestinians were serving sentences following conviction.
Separately, Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians during raids on homes in the occupied West Bank on Sunday.
Arab League warns of fragile Gaza ceasefire
The latest statement follows talks last week between Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Cairo, where the situation in Gaza and the wider occupied Palestinian territories was discussed.
Fahmy told Guterres that the credibility of the international system was being tested by events in Gaza.
He warned that the ceasefire remained fragile, pointing to the killing of more than 1,500 Palestinians since it came into effect.
The Arab League chief called for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, the preservation of the territorial integrity of the occupied territories and continued support for the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The two officials also discussed the situation in Lebanon as the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) approaches its end.
