The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has condemned the killing of a Palestinian prisoner while in Israeli custody.
Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu described Arafat Garadat’s death at the hands of Israeli prison staff as a “heinous crime” and a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions”.
Professor İhsanoğlu said that he holds the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the death of Garadat, which occurred as a result of arbitrary and inhumane treatment and the denial of even fundamental rights. He stressed that this incident exposes Israel’s “racist policies” and “systematic” violations against Palestinian prisoners.
Reiterating his call to internationalise the prisoners’ issue, İhsanoğlu called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities for the protection of Palestinian prisoners and put pressure on Israel, as the occupying power, to put an end to their ill-treatment.