Public Committee Against Torture in Israel
Encyclopedia
The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) is an Israel
i human rights
organisation specifically dedicated to combating torture
, and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and punishment (CIDT). PCATI, an independent human rights organization, was founded in 1990 in reaction to the years-long policy of the Israeli government which permitted the systematic use of torture and ill treatment of Palestinians in Shin Bet or Israel's General Security Service interrogations.
PCATI monitors detention center
s and continues the struggle against the use of torture in interrogation in Israel through legal means, support of relevant legislation and an information campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the subject. PCATI cooperates with other human rights organizations, Israeli, Palestinian and international its struggle against the use torture in Israel and for the implementation of international law
and international humanitarian law
in Israeli law
and practices.
PCATI acts on behalf of all people—Israelis, Palestinians, labor immigrants and other foreigners residing in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories—with the aim of protecting them from torture and ill-treatment by the Israeli security authorities
.
PCATI won a historic victory when, on 6 September 1999, in response to petitions of principle PCATI began submitting to the High Court of Justice in 1991, and petitions filed together with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel
, Hamoked
–Center for the Defense of the Individual and others, the High Court prohibited the use of various means of torture that were systematically employed by the GSS until that time.
Following this, there was a significant decrease in the number of complaints regarding torture or the use of the harsh methods previously used.
However, following the onset of the Second Intifada in September 2000, there was, again, a sharp increase in the number of complaints of torture and ill treatment indicating a reversion to the methods prohibited by the High Court of Justice. This resulted from the exploitation of "necessity defense" opening allowed by the Court in its ruling. There was also a widening of the phenomenon of the ill treatment of Palestinian detainees by soldiers and other members of the security forces.
In light of this, PCATI expanded its activities and began employing field workers and external attorneys to assist the in-house staff in the investigation and treatment of cases of torture or CIDT. PCATI has, in addition continued to search for additional ways to combat torture, CIDT and related violations of human rights and particularly the issue of impunity, and to develop its legal and public advocacy methodology.
In December 1996, PCATI, together with the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Gaza, received the Human Rights Award of the French Republic from the President of France.
PCATI, as a human rights and social change organization, is engaged in outreach and education programs aimed at raising and engaging public discourse and consciousness regarding torture, impunity and related violations of human rights.
PCATI hopes in this way to influence policy makers, professionals and their associations, and the general public with the intent of converting such influence to pressure for policy change.
Dr. Ishai Menuchin has been the Executive Director of PCATI since January 2008. He replaced Ms. Hannah Friedman, who was one of PCATI's founders and its Executive Director after it was founded.
In 2009, PCATI released a report titled "Shackling as a Form of Torture and Abuse" that accused Israel of torturing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners by shackling them in violation of international standards. The report also called in to question Israel's refusal to allow the Red Cross to inspect Facility 1391, a secret prison which has been called Israel's "Guantanamo Bay".
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organisation specifically dedicated to combating torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and punishment (CIDT). PCATI, an independent human rights organization, was founded in 1990 in reaction to the years-long policy of the Israeli government which permitted the systematic use of torture and ill treatment of Palestinians in Shin Bet or Israel's General Security Service interrogations.
PCATI monitors detention center
Detention center
A detention center or a detention centre is any location used for detention. Specifically, it can mean:*A jail or prison*A structure for immigration detention*An internment camp or concentration camp...
s and continues the struggle against the use of torture in interrogation in Israel through legal means, support of relevant legislation and an information campaign aimed at raising public awareness of the subject. PCATI cooperates with other human rights organizations, Israeli, Palestinian and international its struggle against the use torture in Israel and for the implementation of international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
and international humanitarian law
International humanitarian law
International humanitarian law , often referred to as the laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus that comprises "the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law." It...
in Israeli law
Israeli law
Israeli law is a mixed legal system reflecting the diverse history of the territory of the State of Israel throughout the last hundred years , as well as the legal systems of its major religious communities...
and practices.
PCATI acts on behalf of all people—Israelis, Palestinians, labor immigrants and other foreigners residing in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories—with the aim of protecting them from torture and ill-treatment by the Israeli security authorities
Israeli Intelligence Community
The Israeli Intelligence Community is the designation given to the complex of organizations responsible for intelligence collection, dissemination, and research for the State of Israel...
.
PCATI won a historic victory when, on 6 September 1999, in response to petitions of principle PCATI began submitting to the High Court of Justice in 1991, and petitions filed together with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel
Association for Civil Rights in Israel
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel was created as an independent non-partisan organization to protect human rights and civil rights in Israel and the territories under its control....
, Hamoked
Hamoked
HaMoked an Israel based human rights organization founded by Dr. Lotte Salzberger with the stated aim of assisting "Palestinians subjected to the Israeli occupation which causes severe and ongoing violation of their rights." HaMoked works for the enforcement of the standards and values of...
–Center for the Defense of the Individual and others, the High Court prohibited the use of various means of torture that were systematically employed by the GSS until that time.
Following this, there was a significant decrease in the number of complaints regarding torture or the use of the harsh methods previously used.
However, following the onset of the Second Intifada in September 2000, there was, again, a sharp increase in the number of complaints of torture and ill treatment indicating a reversion to the methods prohibited by the High Court of Justice. This resulted from the exploitation of "necessity defense" opening allowed by the Court in its ruling. There was also a widening of the phenomenon of the ill treatment of Palestinian detainees by soldiers and other members of the security forces.
In light of this, PCATI expanded its activities and began employing field workers and external attorneys to assist the in-house staff in the investigation and treatment of cases of torture or CIDT. PCATI has, in addition continued to search for additional ways to combat torture, CIDT and related violations of human rights and particularly the issue of impunity, and to develop its legal and public advocacy methodology.
In December 1996, PCATI, together with the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), Gaza, received the Human Rights Award of the French Republic from the President of France.
PCATI, as a human rights and social change organization, is engaged in outreach and education programs aimed at raising and engaging public discourse and consciousness regarding torture, impunity and related violations of human rights.
PCATI hopes in this way to influence policy makers, professionals and their associations, and the general public with the intent of converting such influence to pressure for policy change.
Dr. Ishai Menuchin has been the Executive Director of PCATI since January 2008. He replaced Ms. Hannah Friedman, who was one of PCATI's founders and its Executive Director after it was founded.
In 2009, PCATI released a report titled "Shackling as a Form of Torture and Abuse" that accused Israel of torturing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners by shackling them in violation of international standards. The report also called in to question Israel's refusal to allow the Red Cross to inspect Facility 1391, a secret prison which has been called Israel's "Guantanamo Bay".
External links
- PCATI website ( English language version )
- PCATI website ( Hebrew version )
- PCATI website ( Arabic version )