Ref: 45/2013
Date: 30 April 2013
Time: 10:44 GMT

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) calls upon the Attorney General in West Bank to seriously investigate the circumstances related to the detention and alleged torture of Mohammed Abdul Karim Dar Mohammed (44), from Tarama village in Hebron. According to information available to PCHR, Mohammed was tortured while being interrogated in the Palestinian Preventive Security Service’s (PSS) prison in Doura, and as a result he has lost the ability to speak.
PCHR’s fieldworker met with the Mohammed, who presented his testimony in writing, as he was unable to speak. Mohammed told PCHR that he was arrested by the PSS on 27 April 2013 without any arrest warrant. He also told that he was tortured during the interrogation, and the interrogators hit his head against the wall, because of which he cannot speak any more.
In his written testimony, Mohammed said:

“I was ordered to stand against the wall, while the guards were still there. They addressed one of the persons present there as “boss”. I later learnt that he was the chief interrogator. Other than him, there were 4 other interrogators. They beat me by hitting me on the face with their hands. Then the “boss” held my head and hit it against the wall 5 times until I lost consciousness completely. They beat me without asking me any questions or interrogating me. After a while, I woke up at the Hebron governmental hospital. I stayed in the hospital for half an hour. I was then returned to the prison. The next morning, I realized that I was having difficulties speaking. As a result, they took me to the hospital again. I tried to describe to the doctors what had happened with me by writing on a paper, but they refused and asked me to speak out. They conducted some medical tests and sent me back to the prison…”

Mohammed added that the PSS members took him to the prison after he was discharged from the hospital. He was questioned for half an hour, during which, he wrote on a paper without saying a single word. He was released at approximately 16:00, on 28 April 2013. Mohammed’s brother Riyadh received him at the gate of the PSS office and took him to Dr. Emad Talahma’s neurology clinic. Dr. Talahma informed Riyadh of the necessity to transfer his brother to the hospital. Mohammed explained that the administration of Hebron governmental hospital refused to give him a report to confirm his admission to the hospital as he was referred from the PSS prison, despite being admitted twice in 24 hours to the hospital.
PCHR condemns PSS members’ conduct and:

1. Calls upon the Attorney General to seriously initiate investigations in this incident, and prosecute the perpetrators to bring them to justice;
2. Reminds that torture is prohibited under the Palestinian Basic Law and forms a grave violation of human rights, which are guaranteed in the international conventions and standards, particularly the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 1984. PCHR highlights that torture crimes do not fall under the statute of limitation to ensure that the perpetrators do not escape justice;
3. Calls on PSS members to immediately stop torture practices.