ICHR condemns the torture of the PLC member, Khalida Jarrar in the Israeli occupation prisons and holds Israel fully responsible for her life and the lives of all Palestinian prisoners

ICHR is deeply concerned about the report given by her lawyer on August 27, 2024, regarding the dire conditions experienced by Khalida Jarrar, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, in Israeli occupation prisons.

Jarrar has been placed in solitary confinement under extremely harsh conditions that lack the necessities of life and violate international human rights standards concerning the treatment of detainees.

Jarrar's statement reflects the devastating conditions faced by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons and detention camps, especially after the war hysteria that has gripped Israeli society since October 7, 2023. This hysteria has so far led to the killing of dozens of prisoners under torture, in addition to the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.

Jarrar’s lawyer, who was finally able to visit her after a long ban, reported that Jarrar is suffocating in her solitary confinement, where she has been held for about 17 days. The cell lacks ventilation, has high temperatures, and offers poor-quality, low-calorie food. Jarrar is suffering from chronic illnesses

According to the United Nations Committee Against Torture, solitary confinement is a form of torture, which constitutes a crime against humanity when it is systematically perpetrated. This applies fully to the situation in Israeli prisons.

Israel has placed Khalida Jarrar under administrative detention, without charges or evidence, based on emergency regulations issued by the British Mandate authorities in 1945. She is one of thousands of Palestinians still subjected to this form of unjust detention.

According to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, administrative detention is arbitrary and violates human freedom, denying the guarantees of a fair trial.

The occupation army arrested Jarrar from her home in Ramallah on December 26, 2023, as part of the massive arrest campaign launched against Palestinians in the West Bank, coinciding with the genocide in Gaza. Khalida Jarrar is a member of the Legislative Council elected in 2006, a human rights defender, particularly for Palestinian women, and a former prisoner.

ICHR calls on the international community and international human rights organizations, especially the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International, and the United Nations rapporteurs concerned with human rights defenders, torture, and arbitrary detention, to assume their legal responsibilities and intervene immediately to pressure the occupation authorities to provide the necessary healthcare for Palestinian prisoners and ensure their treatment by international law, including the immediate cessation of solitary confinement and administrative detention. ICHR calls for international justice mechanisms to commence an independent and effective investigation into the crimes committed against them.