Ref: 19/2022

Date: 23 February 2022

Time: 10:20 GMT

A detainee at Khan Younis Detention and Rehabilitation Center was pronounced dead yesterday, 22 February 2022, shortly after being transported to Naser Hospital in a critical state. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights expresses its concern over the recurrence of such cases at detention centers in the occupied Palestinian territory, and demands the Public Prosecution investigate the incident and supervise prison services’ adherence to law and safety standards.

According to information collected by PCHR fieldworker from the Khan Younis detention and rehabilitation center, including interviews with inmates, at approximately 12:40 on Tuesday, 22 February 2022, while food was being served, the prison warden discovered inmate F.’A hanging from his neck with a piece of cloth taken from a blanket, that was used as a rope with one end tied to the steel bars on the window. His body was hanging. The warden, along with two inmates, took down his body and it was transported to the prison clinic, and from there to Naser Hospital via ambulance that was called in. He arrived at the hospital at approximately 01:00, and resuscitation attempts failed as he was called dead shortly after.

According to the Center’s administration and warden, F.’A was found hanging only one hour after he was admitted to solitary confinement, and only twenty minutes after an inmate delivered him a blanket and a mattress.

The administration also said that he was put into solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure after he got into a fight with another inmate and kicked a police security officer attempting to break up the fight that took place on Sunday afternoon, 20 February 2022. This was F.’A second fight as he got into another fight with another inmate a week earlier.

Investigations showed that prison security punished F.’A before putting him into a solitary cell by tying his hand and foot onto a steel bed with a mattress on top of it in one of the prison hallways. He remained in that state for two days, and he was only allowed bathroom breaks and time to eat.

The Administration of the Rehabilitation Center allowed PCHR fieldworker to examine the solitary confinement cell, which had a mattress without cover, a green blanket without seams (the seams are taken out so that they are not used as rope). Security officers said that the rope used by F.’A was a 10-15 cm piece taken from the aforementioned blanket, he

climbed onto the interior wall, found in the cell as barrier to the toilet, in order for him to reach the top window. He tied a piece of the blanket and tied the other around his neck and pushed his body. He hanged from the rope with only 40 cm between him and the ground.

PCHR fieldworker asked the prison warden and the inmates in the room where F.’A was locked if he had attempted suicide or expressed his intent to commit suicide or harm himself before, but they all denied, highlighting that he had a violent temper and the warden had request a psychological evaluation for him. He had an appointment with a psychiatrist on Tuesday, as Tuesdays are designated for mental health services.

F.’A mother stated to PCHR fieldworker that the west Khan Younis police arrested her son on 21 December 2021 on a criminal charge. He stayed at the Prosecution office for two days, then transferred to the West Khan Younis Police station. On 10 January 2022, F.’A was admitted to Khan Younis Detention and Rehabilitation Center. His mother said that she visited him on 15 February 2022, and he told her that he got into a fight with another inmate and that police beat him and he was punished to solitary confinement. Consequently, he hurt himself and cut his hands, and she saw the stitches on both of his hand.

The inmate’s mother also added that she went to visit her son at approximately 09:30 on Tuesday morning, 22 February 2022, but she did not find his name on the visits list. She was informed that he is banned from visitation rights for getting into a fight with a security officer inside the prison.

She added that her son has had abnormal electrical activity in the brain since his childhood, he was monitored by a physician and has been off his medication for approximately 5 years. She added that her son was previously detained on a criminal charge on 1 April 2021 and was sentenced to a year in prison, of which he served 5 months before being released for being a minor (at the time).

F.’A father stated to PCHR fieldworker that he received a call from the police informing him that his son is at Naser Hospital in Khan Younis, in a critical condition after attempting suicide. Upon his arrival to the hospital, F.’A was in the intensive care unit and he was unable to see him. An hour later, doctors pronounced his son dead. The father said that he saw F.’A with blue marks around his neck. He was transported to al-Shifa hospital an hour later for forensic examination. He added that he refused to have the body go under autopsy and sufficed with an external forensic examination.

The forensics report stated that the main cause of death was strangulation and hanging with a tool that led to death.

The Ministry of Interior opened an investigation into the death circumstances and the Rehabilitation Center’s administration emphasized that an investigation was opened into the incident.

PCHR calls upon the Public Prosecution to open an investigation into the death circumstances, including the detention circumstances and inadequate and degrading punishment that he had been subjected to when he was handcuffed to a bed in the prison corridor for 2 days before being placed in a solitary confinement cell.

PCHR emphasizes that the Public Prosecution and the rehabilitation center are fully responsible for the life and safety of prisoners.  Thus, PCHR stresses that the Public Prosecution’s fault liability should be considered as this incident was not the first of its kind; and therefore, no precautionary measures were taken. 

PCHR also emphasizes that the General Directorate of the Rehabilitation and reform Center should hold their responsibility towards the life of prisoners in the detention centers and prisons as codified in Article (7) of the Rehabilitation and Reform Centers Law no. 6/1998, which provides that “… inmates in any prison remain under the legal guardianship of the prison director….”

PCHR also holds responsible the authorities in charge of observing the legality and circumstances of detention, including Members of the Public Prosecution and Judges, as codified by Article (70) of Judiciary Law no.1/2002, which gives the Public Prosecution and judges the right to observe and inspect the detention circumstances and verify its legality.