[legal-professionals] Palestinian human rights lawyer, daoud dirawi, imprisoned for 6 months without specific charges or trial

For Immediate Release
DCI/Palestine Section; dci-pal@palnet.com
6 March 2003
www.dci-pal.org
Reference: 004/2003

Palestinian Human Rights Lawyer, Daoud Dirawi, Imprisoned for 6 Months
Without Specific Charges or Trial

Palestinian human rights lawyer, Daoud Dirawi, has this week received a
6-month detention order without specific charges or trial, according to
the Israeli administrative detention system. This follows his unprovoked
arrest and torture by Israeli forces on 21-22 February, while he was
getting medical treatment for his daughter in Jerusalem. Daoud is now
imprisoned in Ofer military prison, one of a growing number of Palestinian
prisoners of conscience who have committed no crime, except to be a
Palestinian under Israeli occupation.

Daoud, a research lawyer for Defence for Children International (Palestine
Section), was arrested on his way to the pharmacy to collect a
prescription for his daughter after returning from hospital, 21 February
2003. He was taken to al-Qeshle police station in Jerusalem then moved to
'Asyun prison, southwest of Bethlehem. En route, he was badly beaten by
soldiers using fists and rifle butts, and beaten up by a Russian soldier,
Strovosky. In these attacks, Daoud sustained a broken jaw, for which he
received no treatment (for at least 9 days) although it left him unable to
eat. He was then tortured for 8 hours using positional abuse (or shabeh)
where guards force prisoners to remain in an uncomfortable position over a
period of time. He asked for food, and was tortured in this position for a
further 4 hours, as punishment for asking for his basic rights. On March
3, Daoud was moved to Ofer military prison, which is a permanent detention
centre with better facilities than in 'Asyun, although conditions remain
harsh. Daoud was not questioned throughout this period.

The military authorities gave Daoud an administrative detention order on
March 3, at a stroke detaining him for 6 months on the basis of a one-line
generic charge "the suspect constitutes a danger to the security of the
area."  Administrative detainees are not informed of the allegations or
evidence against them and are not given a chance to present a defence.
DCI/PS is appealing on Daoud's behalf and the first hearing will be held
on March 9.

This is not the first time that Daoud has been detained in this way by the
Israeli government. On 10 September 2001, he was arrested when returning
with his family across the Allenby Bridge from Jordan. At that time, he
was taken for interrogation in Ashkelon where he was badly tortured and
kept in an isolation cell (1.5m X 2m) which was infested with mice and
cockroaches. He was tied in painful positions for a long period of time,
forcibly deprived of sleep and was threatened psychologically by comments
and threats to his wife. He was eventually placed in administrative
detention for 6 months, after which he was released after paying a 12,000
NIS fine ($1=3D NIS4.8).

We appeal to all human rights organizations and sympathetic observers to
protest about the illegal detention and torture of Daoud and to request
his immediate release.

Administrative detention is technically legal under International law, but
only in exceptional circumstances for reasons of "imperative security,"
not as a general form of intimidation and collective punishment. There are
currently over 1,000 Palestinian administrative detainees, indicating that
Israel is abusing this law to arbitrarily persecute the Palestinian
population and so violating its international commitments.

Through its routine use of violence, positional abuse and other forms of
torture against Palestinian prisoners of conscience like Daoud, Israel is
in violation of its obligations under the 1987 Convention against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment which states
that "No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a
threat of war, internal political in stability or any other public
emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture."

Letters of protest about Daoud's treatment and administrative detention,
and the use of torture and administrative detention by Israeli occupying
forces in general can be sent to the following addresses:

Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon
Office of the Prime Minister
3 Kaplan Street, PO Box 187
Kiryat Ben-Gurion
Jerusalem 91919
Fax: (972-2) 651 2631
Yosef Lapid
Minister of Justice
29 Salah Eddin Street
Jerusalem
Elyakim Rubinstein
Attorney-General 29 Salah Eddin Street Jerusalem 91010
Fax: (972-2) 628 5438
Uzi Landau, Ministry of Public Security
Kiryat Hamamshala
PO Box 18182
Jerusalem 91181
Fax: (972-2) 584-7872
Fax: (972-2) 628 8618